The Names by Florence Knapp

When Cora goes to register the birth of her son, she decides to name him Bear, at the suggestion of her nine-year-old daughter, Maia. Her husband, Gordon, who physically abuses her, wants the baby to be named after him,while Cora would have liked Julian. The Names cleverly follows the next thirty-five years in the family's life, with three branching storylines of how Cora's, Maia's, and the child's lives evolved based on the name that the baby was given-Bear, Julian, or Gordon. A novel about fate, chance, and family relationships that gives the reader much to ponder.