Based on where we last left Gordon in 2015, do you think he will have a happy ending like Julian, or do you think he will meet an untimely end like Bear?
What do you think of Gordon landing a creative role / a job at a gallery? Do you think he is now closer to the other two versions of himself?
Gordon meets Comfort on a train journey and quickly finds himself a part of her and Ida’s lives. What do you think of his relationship with the two of them?
Gordon’s mother has suffered for forty years at the hands of her husband. What do you think of how life has changed for her in 2022?
What do you think of Gordon standing up to his father after his discussion with Maia?
Cora is shocked by the sudden shift in Gordon Jnr. How do you feel about his actions?
Do you think Gordon’s father could be compared to Saturn?
What do you think of the Epilogue? Do you feel any particular way in knowing that Gordon Snr. did not see the best moments of his life but the pain he caused others.
What do you think of the last scene where we read about a young woman and a nine-year-old girl walk into the registrar’s office. The young woman offers up the name Hugh for the newborn child. What sort of life do you think the three of them would have lived?
10 responses to “The Names – Day Seven”
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I’m hoping that Gordon junior will have a good life where he experiences true love and happiness. His childhood and early adulthood was traumatic and chaotic enough.
I think that he’s happier in his creative role and that he is closer to the other two versions of himself. So he’s free of the oppressive expectations of his father.
It’s a very mature relationship, without any expectations. It seems to flow easily and Gordon and Ida seem to be really comfortable around each other. He slots in so easily in Comfort and Ida’s lives and that’s why their relationship just works.
Cora is finally free! Free to do exactly what her heart desires. The emotional scars and the effects of the trauma of the past 40 years is obviously still there. I’m glad she finally has the freedom to live her life.
Gordon realised that he is not like his father and he can break free and not be influenced by his father’s toxic expectations. So he stands up to his father and sets a plan in place to free his mother.
I am so happy that he set things in place for his mother to be freed from his father and by finalising everything that his father has no choice but to give Cora a divorce.
Oh absolutely Gordon senior can be compared to Saturn who destroys and devours his own children.
Maybe Gordon senior’s conscience finally caught up with him when he saw the pain he caused others in his final moments.
The three of them would have lived better lives as long as Gordon senior was not the father.
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1. It feels like Gordon might finally get his version of a happy ending. Maybe not perfect, but something gentler. Something that feels like peace.
2. It suits him. He feels more settled now, like he’s finally becoming his own person rather than living in reaction to others.
3. I think it’s exactly what this version of him needed. Comfort lives up to her name, and their presence feels like a soft landing after years of chaos.
4. It’s surreal but so satisfying. Watching her step into freedom after everything felt like a quiet kind of justice.
5. I was proud of him. That moment showed real growth. He decided that he would change his own destiny and that he wouldn’t turn into his father.
6. It made me emotional, to be honest. I didn’t expect him to change, but he did. Not overnight, and not perfectly, but meaningfully. I think his choice to help his mother escape said more than any apology ever could.
7. Yes. He destroyed everything that didn’t fit his version of power, including his own family. The comparison fits too well.
8. I don’t feel sorry for him. After everything, it felt right that his final moments were filled with regret, not comfort.
9. It felt full of hope. The name Hugh didn’t feel like a burden, but a tribute. I like to believe that this new family won’t carry the same pain
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I think Gordon will end up living a happy and good life because of the choices he has made.
I was so happy to see him enter a creative career – it feels so opposite to what his father would have done, so it indicates that Gordon Jnr is making choices for himself and not to please his dad. He is definitely closer to the other versions of himself.
I love that he finds a love that is natural and comfortable. He deserves to be happy after having such a rough childhood.
Seeing her experience freedom for the first time so late in life feels bittersweet – I am happy that she is free but also sad that she has missed out on the simplest things because of her husband’s control over her.
I was so proud of him for standing up to his dad and not allowing his behaviour to go unchecked.
Gordon Jnr’s actions made me want to hug him! He saved his mom and put an end to his dad’s reign over her.
Yes there is such an obvious parallel between Saturn and Gordon Snr – he wanted to consume his son and turn him into himself.
The epilogue was so satisfying in the sense that Gordon Snr finally faces his actions and acknowledges in his last moments that he could have made different choices. I believe it was needed for him to face the ones he did make.
I think the girl in that scene is Cora if she has been with someone else who treated her well. She got to choose a name for her child based on what she wanted and she chose her dad’s name – someone I assume she loved and respected and will now live on in her son. I think they will live a much more stable and normal life and Hugh will have a normal childhood.
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When we last saw Gordon, his fate was neither good morning bad, kind of in between. He showed a great understanding of his past actions and the potential to be better, so I was hopeful he would have a happy ending like Julian.
I actually think it’s a great parallel to when he was in art class when he was younger (being creative, expressing himself freely, giving us insight into who he is and his depth and breadth of imagination, how happy he can be when he doesn’t have the weight of others’ expectations on him, regardless of whether these expectations are good or bad).
I do think he’s closer to the other two versions of himself in the sense that he is content with/in who he is and he has found something fulfilling for his life.I like his relationship with Comfort and Ida. Both have adopted him so easily into their lives, and after years of uncertainty and feeling like and outsider with all of his family members (until recently), being able to be part of a family that readily accepts him for who he is is really touching to read about.
I like that she’s able to enjoy the freedoms she wasn’t able to before. I didn’t see this outcome coming, but I loved how one Gordon trapped her with this elaborate plan of fabricating evidence of Cora’s paychosis, while the other Gordon stopped those decades of violence by breaking her out of that trap with this elaborate plan to collect evidence of his father’s abuse to blackmail him. I thought it was so poetic and a really great moment for Gordon Jnr: not just breaking his fathers legacy of violence for himself, but also for Cora.
Yes. Definitely. And the ways in which I could describe how he embodies Saturn wouldn’t be described better than jow Gordon Jnr did.
For the entire first half of the epilogue I kept reading a line and saying out loud, “Good, you deserve it”, because he does. I feel no remorse for that man. His remorse comes too little, too late. (And it’s not even remorse, it’s mainly an attempt to repent after fear of dying and being punished for his decades of abuse).
I thought that last paragraph was beautiful, and a nice, gentle callback to how this all started. I kind of expected they were going to go with a different name (Gordon saying he always imagined himself a Luke earlier in the book really stuck with me), but I didn’t know what name the author would settle on. While part of me mourns for the lives the baby would’ve lived (and that I spent days reading and becoming emotionally invested in), I’m glad a completely different name was chosen, one that aligns with Cora’s family instead of Gordon. It’s a reminder that both the unnamed baby and Bear/Julian/Gordon are Cora’s kid, not Gordon senior’s. And it leaves his future (and Cora’s and Maia’s) open to so many possibilities, which I like–especially since all 3 timelines have proved that some things are just inevitable: he rejects his father’s legacy of abuse; Cora finds her freedom, Maia finds happiness in her life; the siblings are close; Silbhe and Cian rekindle their romance; the boy will always come across Lily, who will always find her own happiness and life’s purpose with or without him; and everyone besides that loser Gordon senior will get a happy ending. So I don’t doubt that whatever happens to baby Hugh, these canon events in his and his loved one’s lives will remain the same 💖
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I’m hoping for a happy ending for Gordon, one where he redeems himself and rises above the negativity connected to his name.
I do think that Gordon getting a creative job brings him closer to his Bear and Julian version. Clearly this was the career path meant for him.
I think his relationship with Comfort and Ida is so wholesome. The banter he has with Ida is wonderful and shows that he’s changed and is a better man for it.
Finally she’s got the freedom that she always should’ve had. Unfortunately 40 years of abuse will leave deep scars but I hope she lives a more content life without Gordon snr.
This part had me cheering for Gordon. He chose to be a better man then his father and broke free of his father’s expectations and approval.
I think Cora had accepted that she and Gordon would always have a strained relationship but I was so happy that he changed that and decided to build a new, better relationship with his mom. I also feel like with maturity comes clarity and he wanted to make amends with his mom after having treated her badly when he was younger.
Yes definitely. He tried to manipulate his children too especially Gordon jnr and wanted to devour them just like Saturn devoured his children.
I felt like this was a fitting end for a man who was cruel and despicable towards his wife and children.
I loved this scenario, it gave me hope that they were a happy family and lived with a loving husband / father.
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1) I cannot handle another heartbreak so I’m really hoping that Gordon gets his happy ending. Given everything he has been through and overcome I think he deserves it.
2) I think this role suits him perfectly and aligns with the two other versions of him so well. He is much happier in this role.
3) I approve of their relationship. It is uncomplicated and easy. He is finally accepted and loved for who he is.
4) Although her years of trauma will always be with her in one way or another, I was so happy reading that she finally has the freedom owed to her albeit so late in life.
5) I couldn’t have been prouder of Gordon in this moment! Finding the courage to do what’s right and finally break free from his father’s shadow.
6) Gordons character redemption was amazing. I was so happy that he finally did something to help his mother.
7) With every fiber of my being I believe that he should be compared to Saturn! He really did destroy his children for a long time.
8) I cannot find it in my heart to forgive Gordon Snr for what he did to his family, so therefore I do not feel an ounce of sympathy for him. His end was fitting. Filled with regret for a life squandered. He did not deserve forgiveness. It was a case of too little too late.
9) I loved the last scene; it gives hope for a better family life.
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1) In the beginning, I honestly think he didn’t deserve a happy ending. But seeing how his character developed over time, I then leant more toward him having a happier ending.
2) Yes! That is exactly what I thought – he is finally able to be himself – and he has found himself. Now he is definitely closer to the other versions of himself.
3) I think it’s just what he needs – maybe he finds solace in this relationship, because it reflects also the kind of closeness and openness he could have had with his mother and sister (not in a weird way) if his father was not in the picture.
4) I am so happy for her – to finally have the freedom she always deserved. I do wish it was sooner.
5) All I thought was “Good for you” and “Finally”
6) I wanted to cry – I was so glad for them, and this bridge they were building to fix the relationship and distance between them.
7) I think in a way, yes – a very manipulative figure who actually did not want what was best. Although, I’m not sure if he was wary of Gordon Jnr “surpassing” him. I don’t know if that was his worry.
8) The epilogue was like a sweet justice in a way – why should he die thinking he lived a good life. It is much better to think he suffered by these memories in his last moments, the way he imparted suffering to those in his life (especially Cora).
9) I shudder to think of a tragic one similar to Julian & Gordon – I hope the name Hugh would have given Cora strength enough to get away sooner and live like Cora in Bear’s timeline. Maybe the name Hugh would have given her that power – now that we know the author put a lot of emphasis on the meaning of everyone’s names – I googled what Hugh means – “mind,” “spirit,” or “heart”. It can also be interpreted as “bright in mind and spirit” – I think it would have given Cora clarity to do what was right not only for her children (i.e. protecting them by her being the shield) but also for her. -
Gordon’s journey from chaos into calm was one of the most quietly satisfying arcs to follow. When we last saw him in 2015, his fate teetered on a knife-edge — could he end up lost like Bear or at peace like Julian? Based on how things unfold, I lean toward hope. Gordon carves out a life rooted in authenticity rather than reaction, and that makes all the difference.
His decision to pursue a creative career, specifically within a gallery, felt like a beautiful parallel to earlier versions of himself — particularly Bear’s passion and Julian’s sensitivity. Stepping away from the oppressive mould his father cast, he finally becomes someone of his own design. It’s not about erasing the past, but using it as clay for something better.
Meeting Comfort on a train might seem like chance, but it reads as fate — a gentle rewrite of the family dynamic Gordon deserved all along. Their warmth, lack of expectations, and easy acceptance of him allow Gordon to feel truly seen. It’s a subtle kind of healing, the kind that doesn’t need big declarations.
As for Cora — her transformation by 2022 is bittersweet. Yes, she’s free at last, but the scars are decades deep. What’s powerful is not just her liberation from Gordon Snr., but the quiet joy that emerges as she begins to choose for herself. Her story isn’t framed by revenge; it’s reclaimed by dignity.
Gordon standing up to his father after speaking with Maia was pivotal. That conversation clarified more than facts — it gave him emotional perspective, a mirror to see the cycle and decide he wouldn’t continue it. His courage doesn’t roar; it gathers momentum through intention and quiet resolve.
Cora’s shock at her son’s transformation is understandable — perhaps even laced with grief for the years lost. But Gordon Jnr.’s actions speak loudly. He not only breaks free himself but also engineers the freedom of others, dismantling the legacy one piece at a time.
Comparing Gordon Snr. to Saturn feels apt — a figure who devours rather than nurtures. His power relied on dominance, and even his own children weren’t exempt from the wreckage. In the end, he became a symbol of inherited violence, not paternal strength.
The epilogue gave no comfort to Gordon Snr., and rightly so. Seeing him face not triumphs but the wreckage he left behind felt like narrative justice. It’s not meant to console — it’s meant to witness. That he died burdened by memory, not surrounded by love, echoed the emotional toll of his choices.And finally, the closing scene — a woman and a young girl naming the child Hugh. That moment felt full of possibility. Choosing a name tied to light and heart instead of legacy signals a future rewritten. I imagine those three will live differently — in homes where memory doesn’t have to be a battlefield, and where love isn’t conditional or controlling. If names carry meaning, then this one carries the promise of peace.
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I hope he has a happy ending. Because children aren’t their parents and they don’t have to succumb to the same end. I do think Gordon jnr. finally understands that his life is his own even if his name is not. He can create a life he wants to live and so he does. It takes courage to pivot in the way he did and I really respect him for that.
I guess he is closer to the other versions of himself but I also think his path there makes it sweeter than the other versions.
It’s effortless in that it works without any of them having to be more or less than they are.
I think Gordon jnr’s plan to save his mother once and for all is a very admirable one. But it’s also sad because his mother couldn’t save herself and needed another Gordon to do it for her. One to trap one to save. It would have been awesome if she managed to walk away using her own courage and conviction. It also highlights how powerless women are to changing men. Maia couldn’t do what Gordon jnr. did, why? Why was it only achievable when another male confronted their father? I think it also shows that the change in men and domestic violence in particular comes from men holding each other accountable.
What a profound meaning to the picture. He certainly was Saturn and it further demonstrates his weakness as a man and his cowardice. Which sensible father seeks out to devour and destroy his own children to maintain his power? It’s just ludicrous.
I think it’s good that he left knowing the pain he caused. As for his soul and whether it finds peace or eternal turmoil, well that’s between him and his God.
I think all families have their ups and downs. What makes the difference is that children have responsible parents, who love each other first and who sincerely love their children. A name change doesn’t guarantee that. It’s our own active and daily choices that do.
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It’s hard to say, I was expecting them all to have an untimely end.
I think the creative part of him never changed, no matter what his name was, and yes, he’s closer now to the other versions of himself.
I was wary at first, I worry about characters allowing people close to themselves and their kids, inviting men you don’t really know into your home when you have kids can be very dangerous.
I think her freedom was well deserved and also sad. The way the smallest things that she wasn’t allowed before are so significant – not sad that she finds them joyful, but sad that these small seemingly insignificant things were banned from her, that she wasn’t allowed to feel joy.
I think it was brave, but also scary. It took a lot of courage on his part, but it’s a pty he took so long.
Like the previous question, I know he’s the child, but (some) men seem to respect other men more than women no matter their age, and if Gordon Jnr had that kind of power he should have used it earlier to put his foot down.
I don’t know that abusers change. Narcissists never see themselves as abusers but as the victims and he feels like a victim.
It really could be anything, it could be a better outcome than the other three. But maybe it means she was leaving Gordon Snr in the dust too by doing a complete flip.
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