The Namesake Novels & Stories

Preston by the main character. “Wait!” I suddenly realized that my male lead doesn’t have a name. “How about… um… “ Naturally, there was only one name on my mind. But I couldn’t name the character “Tom”, could I? I logged to writers’ chatroom again. “How should I name my psychopath ML?” “What is his nationality?” someone asked. “Asian American…kind of…” “Maybe choose a simple English name?” somebody else suggested. This opinion only made me go back to “Tom” again…

A girl in a pink tutu twirled past me. Yeah, that was me… a younger and brighter me. My mother knelt beside her, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Chin up, Jasmine,” she whispered. “You are a Goldwyn.” Jasmine. My name is Jasmine. The images shifted. My father’s laugh echoed through the halls. The boardroom. My signature. The merger. Arnold’s hand in mine. His vows. His lies. His tongue in Joanne’s mouth. The lake house.

“What’s the name of the hospital? — The question came out almost automatically, my mind already planning what to do next. The silence that followed was awkward. Everyone in the room stared at me in surprise. Axel, Anton, Anneliese, and Pietra were visibly confused by my sudden interest in this girl who, theoretically, was just a stranger to me. I could feel Axel’s sharp gaze on me as if he were trying to figure out what was going on. Anneliese blinked a few times before finally answering: “It’s General Hospital, if I’m not mistaken.” She spoke carefully as if wondering why, exactly, I was so interested.