The beginning premise of this book is that a person’s name can seal their fate. The main character, while pregnant, muses to her husband that many people seem to be named according to their job (someone whose last name is Baker might wind up working in a bakery, for example). With that in mind, she struggles to decide what to name her son – her husband wants to follow his family’s long-standing tradition of having his own namesake, but she isn’t sure (spoiler, though it’s mentioned in the blurb, her husband is a beloved doctor, but he’s also abusive to his wife).
This idea was particularly intriguing to me because I have possibly spent more time than most ruminating on the topic of names. I legally changed my first name, then I changed my surname when I got married. I chose my daughter’s name over a decade before she was born, inspired by a book (of course).
The premise is clever, and the book is too, but, though it is about the fate of this family, it isn’t really about the name at all. I know some people call them “sliding doors” moments, but I prefer to think of them as “hinge moments,” those times when a decision you make will significantly determine the direction of your life and possibly the lives of those close to you. The book is formatted based on three separate choices – the woman can follow her husband’s dictate and give the baby his father’s name, she could pick a name she likes, or she might just throw all caution to the wind and allow her imaginative young daughter the freedom to name her baby brother. The book alternates between the woman’s three separate options, jumping forward in seven year increments, telling the story of the family after each of the three choices was made.
Sometimes the leap forward in time is jarring, and I found myself paging back a few times to keep up with the different characters in each separate timeline. There are some clear parallels throughout, mainly with regard to the daughter, but that one day when the naming was recorded has a ripple effect beyond just the couple and their two children. I found myself trying to choose which fate I preferred, but, just like real life, there are positives and negatives in each timeline. In all three, however, the domestic violence leaves an impact, far more than the name the boy is given (though I think the author did try to shape some of the story around the actual names, all of which are completely different from each other). Some things leave a mark regardless of the choices made afterward, and none of the timelines completely avoid heartache and tragedy – another thing my mind kept going to was that I’m grateful not to be able to see into the future (knock on wood).
Some of the story was difficult to read, but I’m glad I picked up this book. I will be thinking about these characters (the mom, especially), for a long time, and am looking forward to reading whatever this author comes up with next.