Jumper (novel)

Infobox Book |
name =Jumper
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption = 1992, First Edition - Hardcover
author =Steven Gould
cover_artist =Romas, cover art
country =United States
language =English
series =
genre =Science fiction novel
publisher =Tor Books
release_date =August, 1992
media_type =Print (Hardback)
pages =344 pp
isbn =ISBN 0-8125-2237-0 (hardback edition)

"Jumper" is a 1992 science fiction novel by Steven Gould. The novel was published in mass market paperback in October 1993 and re-released in February 2008 to coincide with the release of the film adaptation. It tells the story of Davy, a teenager who escapes an abusive household using his ability to teleport. As he tries to make his way in the world, he searches for his mother (who left when he was a child) and uses his talent to indulge in various criminal activities.

ynopsis

One evening, while being physically abused by his father, David Rice unexpectedly teleports (or 'jumps') and finds himself in the local library. The origin of this power is never explained. Vowing never to return to his father's house, Davy makes his way to New York City. After being mugged and discovering that he can't get a job without a birth certificate and social security number, David robs a local bank by teleporting inside the safe, stealing nearly a million dollars. He then begins a life of reading, attending plays and dining in fancy restaurants. At a play he meets a woman named Millie Harrison, and they spend some time touring New York before she returns to college in Stillwater, Oklahoma. David later visits her in Oklahoma, and they begin a romantic relationship.

Back in New York, the police start investigating Davy after he saves a neighbor from an attack by jumping her abusive husband to a park.The husband turns out to be a cop, and starts investigating Davy. The investigation drives Davy to move to Oklahoma, where he gets an apartment near Millie. One night while Davy is out, the police are in his New York City apartment when Millie calls, and Millie breaks up with him after learning that he is being pursued by the police. Leaving Returning to New York, Davy eventually reunites with his mother, Mary Niles, who left the family years earlier after a beating from Davy's father put her in the hospital. Mary is passing through New York on a business trip, but her reunion with Davy is interrupted when her plane is hijacked, and its crew and passengers killed, by terrorists. Davy then sets out to find the terrorist responsible for his mother's death.

While he is searching for the terrorist, he and Millie eventually reconcile. However, the National Security Agency is now hunting Davy, and takes Millie hostage in order to get to him. Eventually, Davy captures the hijacker/terrorist responsible for his mother's death and gets Millie back from the National Security Agency.

Characters

* Davy Rice - the protagonist who discovers that he can 'jump' to any place that he can clearly visualize in memory.
* Millie Harrison - David's girlfriend who attends a university in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
* Mary (Rice) Niles - David's mother who left the family five years prior to the start of the novel. Killed by terrorists during a business trip.
* William Rice - David's abusive father.
* Brian Cox - an NSA agent who attempts to capture Davy after witnessing him Jump, he is the one who kidnaps Millie and plants a bug in her home.
* Mark Kolbold - Millie's ex-boyfriend who Davy brawls with, at a party. During the brawl, Davy Jumps him to an airport and leaves him there.
* Sergeant Washburn - An NYPD officer and an abusive husband, he is one day jumped by Davy to a park while abusing his wife.

Themes & Issues

Domestic Abuse - Both David and his mother are abused by his father, leading to David's mother abandoning him. The results of this abuse have many consequences for David. First, his abuse leads David to discover his ability to 'jump' or teleport. Second, it leads David to establish a life on his own requiring him to rob a bank to survive. Third, it leads him to intervene in the domestic violence of his downstairs neighbor causing the police to investigate him. Finally, the effects of his abuse strain David's relationship with his girlfriend Millie, especially when he reveals his ability to her.

A continuing theme in the novel is the cycle of abuse, the risk of David becoming an abuser himself. David frequently experiences rage and sometimes strikes out physically, then hates himself for acting like his father. His anger at the terrorist who killed his mother blends into his anger with his father and with the government agent pursuing him, and indeed, he finally brings all three men together. After nearly killing several times, he finally gets control of his anger, and in the end is getting counseling, with Millie's support. Although his rage is often directed at his father and various surrogates, David never directs violence at Millie, an important difference which implies he is successfully breaking the cycle of abuse.

Film adaptation

A film by the same title, released on February 14, 2008, was directed by Doug Liman, with a screenplay adapted by David S. Goyer, Jim Uhls and Simon Kinberg. It starred Hayden Christensen, Samuel L. Jackson, Rachel Bilson, Jamie Bell, and Diane Lane.The beginning of the film follows the early plot of the novel with respect to Davy's home life and discovery of jumping, but from there follows Davey's life as an adult and expands upon a different story. Most of the characters are presented in modified ways from the book, and there is an entirely new major character, Griffin O'Conner, another Jumper. A new novel was written as a tie-in to the movie, titled "Jumper: Griffin's Story." This book gives the backstory of the new character, and despite being written by the same author, is not entirely consistent with the original "Jumper" or with "Reflex".

Awards and nominations

* Compton Crook Award Final Ballot (an award for first novels)
* Locus Poll, second place, best first novel, 1992
* American Library Association, Best Book List, YA division
* International Teacher's Association's Recommended Reading List
* Pacific Northwest Reader's Association, YA Award Final Ballot

Jumper was number 94 on the American Library Association's "100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–1999". [ [http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/bbwlinks/top100challenged.htm The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–1999] - American Library Association] Gould said: "considering that it wasn't published until the latter half of 1992, it had to work extra hard." [ [http://www.digitalnoir.com/s/jumper.html Jumper] , Digital Noir, webpage, author Steven Gould] The book was listed for the graphic description of David's abuse at the start of the book (page 2) and the description of David's debate about killing his passed out father (page 9) [ [http://digitalnoir.com/steve/?page_id=33 An Unconvincing Narrative] , Digital Noir, webpage, author Steven Gould, posting dated 06 Jan 2008 at 7:23 pm]

equel

A 2004 sequel to the novel, "Reflex", continues the story of David as an adult.

In 2008, "" told the tale of another "jumper" character from the film version of the novel, and serves as a spin-off. There is also a of the same name released in 2008. Both titles take place in the film's universe, and not that of the novels.

ee also

*Alfred Bester's 1956 novel "The Stars My Destination"

Notes

External links

* [http://www.digitalnoir.com/s/jumper.html Jumper at the author's webpage]
* [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0812522370 Jumper novel] at Amazon.com