Jumper(Novel)

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), develops a relationship with a woman he keeps his ability secret from, and is eventually brought into conflict with several antagonists.

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Synopsis
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. David also manages to locate and reunite with his long lost mother, Mary Niles. Mary left the family after being severely beaten by David's father, and all her attempts to contact David over the years were interrupted by his father.

The New York police start investigating David after he saves a neighbor from an attack by jumping her abusive husband to a park, as the husband turns out to be a cop. The investigation drives David to move to Oklahoma, where he gets an apartment near Millie. One night while David 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.

Mary, who was on a business trip, is murdered by terrorists when her plane is hijacked. David then sets out to find Rashid Matar, the terrorist responsible for his mother's death. David starts jumping to Algeria to search for Matar, having to dodge the police almost every time he is there. While he is searching for the terrorist, he and Millie eventually reconcile. However, the National Security Agency, led by veteran agent Brian Cox, become suspicious when they find out he can get from Algeria to the United States in only a few hours. When he is questioned, Davy decides to jump out of the NSA office with Cox and several other agents witnessing his powers. Cox and the NSA then become determined to capture Davy so they can use his powers. After numerous failures to grab Davy, Cox takes Millie hostage in order to get to him. Davy strikes back by grabbing Cox, and later captures Matar and his abusive father - thereby putting him in the unique position of controlling the fates of all three of his tormentors.

This experience has profound effects on all four of them. David finds himself unable to kill his captives despite their crimes against him, and ultimately releases them. David turns Matar over to the authorities, threatening to come after him again if he isn't found guilty for his crimes. His father is forced to acknowledge his abuse of David and Mary, and enters alcoholic counseling. Cox is forced to see the similarities between his actions and those of the terrorist and the wife-beating alcoholic, and has Millie released and agrees to stop hunting Davy.

Afterward, Millie comforts David as he realizes that he cannot escape his pain through teleportation or vigilante action, and he enters counseling as well.

Characters

 * David "Davy" Rice - the victim of an abusive, drunk father, and the protagonist in the story who discovers that he can 'jump' to any place that he can clearly visualize in memory.
 * Millie Harrison - Davy's girlfriend who he met at a play in New York, and attends a university in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
 * Mary (Rice) Niles - Davy's mother who left the family five years prior to the start of the novel due to her husband's abusive behavior. Killed by terrorists during a business trip.
 * Carl 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.
 * Sergeant Washburn - An NYPD officer and an abusive husband, he is one day jumped by Davy to a park while abusing his wife.
 * Rashid Matar - a hijacker/terrorist. He was responsible for Mary Niles' death.

Themes
Domestic Abuse - Both Davy and his mother are abused by his father, leading to Davy's mother abandoning him. The results of this abuse have many consequences for Davy. First, his abuse leads David to discover his ability to 'jump' or teleport. Second, it leads Davy 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 Davy'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 Davy becoming an abuser himself. Davy 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, Davy never directs violence at Millie, an important difference which implies he is successfully breaking the cycle of abuse.

Film
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 Davy'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 as noted in an introduction by the author, is not entirely consistent with the original "Jumper" or with "Reflex". Also new are a group of people called Paladins, whose sole purpose in the world is to hunt down and kill jumpers, with the Brian Cox character (renamed Roland Cox) being the group's leader and the principal antagonist in the film instead of an NSA agent.

Awards and Nominations
Jumper was number 94 on the American Library Association's 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–1999.[1] Gould said: "considering that it wasn't published until the latter half of 1992, it had to work extra hard."[2] 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).[3]
 * 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

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

In 2008, Jumper: Griffin's Story told the tale of another "jumper" character from the film version of the novel, and serves as a spin-off. There is also a video game of the same name, which was released in 2008. Both titles take place in the film's world, and not that of the novels. Reflex takes place in the same world as Jumper.

Refrences

 * 1) ^ [1] The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–1999] - American Library Association
 * 2) ^ Jumper, Digital Noir, webpage, author Steven Gould
 * 3) ^ An Unconvincing Narrative, Digital Noir, webpage, author Steven Gould, posting dated 06 Jan 2008 at 7:23 pm