The Names They Gave Us

The Names They Gave Us by Emery Lord

Maybe I should dream of a future where I’ve rediscovered my faith. Where I have solid footing. Maybe my dream should be that I finally realize what I want to do with my life. But really, I just want my mom to be here for whatever happens. With all of it.

I was meant to read this book. And I’m glad I picked this up without knowing what it truly was about. If I knew, maybe I would’ve placed it back on the shelf.

My favorite genre to read is YA Fantasy. So I always set my eyes on books related to magic and fantasy. But this one caught my eye at the sale and honestly, at first I thought it was my genre because of the cover. The tree that grew stars instead of leaves was a supposed hint. Later when I started to read, I found that it was not. But I wasn’t at all disappointed because in the beginning, I was already curious, and I was drawn to it— to Lucy’s life.

The book is in the POV of Lucy— a girl so deep in her faith of the Lord, and whose life was already a set course. She was kind, an obedient Christian, and she lived her life morally and spiritually in sync with God’s word. But a tragedy in the past comes back to haunt her faith, her beliefs, and she’s left with anger, fear, and uncertainty.

I normally shy away from novels centered on religion and the like because like I mentioned, I’m more into fantasy, and there’s that boring expectation when reading this kind of book. Maybe because it’s not filled with adventure. But not too deep into the story, I was already able to relate with Lucy. I’m a Christian myself, and I’m not proud of my imperfections but Lucy made me realize that it’s okay, because we’re mere humans battling in keeping our faith admist trials and circumstances that rattle our core.

The story was simple, not too dramatic, but every page was full of hightened emotions and there were parts where I couldn’t stop the tears. I relate to the relationship that Lucy and her mom has because it’s also what we have between my mother and I. Writing this review doesn’t do the story justice; I couldn’t even get my feelings right. I was meant to read this book, because I’m at a point in my life where I’m always wondering, asking, and looking for my childlike faith. I am Lucy now, and I can only hope I’d also end up having her resilience and restoration of unbounded faith.

Everyone should read this book. Whether or not you’re going through something hard and you’re desperate for salvation, for healing, or for answers to the feelings you can’t explain.

The writing was splendid; prepare your napkins for the tears that are sure to pour out.