The Names

Review

I was intrigued by this novel's premise, but since it condenses three stories into one, it left me wanting more from each of them. It took me some time to get the hang of the alternating realities, but once I did, I enjoyed the rhythm of switching between them. The detailed domestic abuse was definitely difficult to read.

Because Cora shrinks with each week that passes, with each week that sits between her and whatever life she once had as a mother, a dancer, a schoolgirl, someone's daughter, heart beating out of her chest as she learned to ride a bike or felt the happiness of biting into flapjack warm from the oven before the syrup had a chance to harden.