My major critique, though, is about David’s narrative voice. Although running away and living independent forces him to grow up and act more adult than his years might credit, deep down he is, in many ways, a scared kid. He realizes when he isn’t “being rational” about something. He wonders if he has an inclination towards alcoholism like his father. And it’s clear from their interactions, as well as a lot of David’s other dialogue, that he is aware of his issues. More than once, Millie suggests that David should see a therapist-this is a good idea. I also really liked how Gould doesn’t shy away from David’s mental health considering his abuse and abandonment issues. Similarly, Gould writes combat/fighting that David engages in with an eye for how teleportation would help (or hinder) the experience.

For a long time, he doesn’t bother building a bathroom (and thus figuring out all the attendant plumbing requirements) when he needs to go, he just jumps somewhere else with a bathroom. For example, at one point David starts constructing a little hideaway house in a remote part of the Texas desert. There are sensible limitations on it, but Gould also considers how the ability would shape David’s understanding of how he should navigate the world. Instead, Gould gets creative and fairly practical with the ways in which David exploits his ability. I do have to give Gould credit: teleportation is a fun superpower to have, but it would be so easy to screw it up as a plot device. And then, of course, government agents get involved…. It doesn’t fill the hole left in his heart, the one asking him to search for his mother, who left him and his dad when he was younger. He falls in love, but being an autodidact with a lot of money isn’t enough. So he robs a bank! Set up with riches, David quickly discovers life isn’t that simple. David quickly becomes more adept at jumping, as he calls it, and runs away from home, ending up in New York City at seventeen with no diploma, no ID, and no money. Trigger warnings in this book for scenes of child abuse and domestic violence, child sexual abuse, terrorist attacks (particularly hijackings), alcoholism, and discussions about parental abandonment/neglect.ĭavid Rice first discovers he can teleport while being beaten, again, by his alcoholic and abusive father. Why haven’t I read it yet? Is it because I can sense it’s bad? What if I don’t like this book? I’m on vacation I want my reading to be good!! Fortunately, although by no means a home run-by dint of Gould’s somewhat blah narration- Jumper managed to captivate me and keep me reading right until the end, and I’m almost tempted to pick up the sequel now. Sometimes with books like that, I feel extra trepidation going into it. I’ve had Jumper on my computer for a while now and never got around to reading it, not sure why.

Steven gould jumper series