Florence Knapp's debut novel, 'The Names', presents three intertwined narratives centered around a mother naming her newborn son. The decision, whether to name him Bear, Julian, or Gordon, sets the stage for distinct life paths that highlight the concept of nominative determinism. Garnering interest at Frankfurt's book fair and sold in 20 languages, the novel reflects a resurgence in high-concept fiction. Knapp's journey involved overcoming prior rejection and crafting a narrative structure that focuses on formative life moments, culminating in a compelling exploration of identity and choices.
When I was setting out to write this one, I didn't have a sense of it being a big idea at all: it was just the thing that, when I was faced with quite a lot of rejection, I kept coming back to.
The narrative structure was really helpful. I think I realised early on that I wanted to show, in a very crystallised way, those moments in a person's life that are formative.
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