★The British Book Award Winner-Debut FictionThe unforgettable debut novel that became an instant global sensation, The Names asks how a name can shape the course of a life and explores the single what-if moments that can overturn a person's fateA MAJOR SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERIt is 1987, and in the aftermath of a great storm, Cora sets out with her nine-year-old daughter to register the birth of her son. Her husband intends for her to follow a longstanding family tradition and call the baby after him. But when faced with the decision, Cora hesitates. Going against his wishes is a risk that will have consequences, but is it right for her child to inherit his name from generations of domineering men? The choice she makes in this moment will shape the course of their lives.Seven years later, her son is Bear, a name chosen by his sister, and one that will prove as cataclysmic as the storm from which it emerged. Or he is Julian, the name his mother set her heart on, believing it will enable
