SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY
After she watches her best friend drown, Charlie can't move on with her life. Especially since no one believes what she saw. Then Charlie starts having dreams that feel much too real. Turns out these dreams may provide a way to save Max after all.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Charlie is reluctant to open up to anyone after she was called crazy. Instead, she hides all of her feelings away. She often loses her temper and is obsessed with Max. She seems oblivious to the chaos she creates and is rather naive about the other world.
Max was Charlie's best friend. But he never really got on with anyone else, not even her brother, James. He is hardly in the story, and mostly shown as a far away figure. Even so, I never questioned Charlie's desire to save him.
James, Charlie's older brother, worries about his sister a lot. But he doesn't know how to get her to open up to him. Even so, he is the only one who makes a real effort to figure out the truth.
Kit is a mysterious man that Charlie meets in the other world. He seems friendly enough, and gives advice to help her find Max faster.
Charlie's mom see's whatever facade her daughter puts out. She is oblivious to the truth.
PACING
The story goes back in forth, between Charlie's perspective, and her brother's perspective. As well as in between Charlie's dream world and the human world. Because of the switch in perspectives, the story moves fast.
Charlie has her first dream by chapter eight (chapters are rather short). It's page 48 of a 233 page book, so we really aren't kept waiting. Halfway through the book we get our goal, where Max is heading. We get a ticking time clock.
FORESHADOWING
There are enough hints of what is to come to keep the readers interest. Like when Jamie sees Charlie's notebook vanish. He gets suspicious and we know he plans to find out more by sneaking.
Also, Charlie lets is slip that she cannot leave Max. Implying he is still around. Jamie never sits down with her to talk, but he knows something is seriously wrong with her. We get hints like these we're we know something has to happen in the future.
MYSTERIOUS SECRETS
Stroud has an intriguing and furious way of only telling the reader just what they need to know. What is this other world? Who are these people? Were they all once alive? Do they mean well, or harm? He leaves it all up to you to speculate about it. This could be maddening, or it could be rather clever writing. Let the reader imagine things more horrible then Stroud could ever write.
LIFE OR DEATH?
It's obvious to all around her that Charlie can't let go of Max, and it's creating a rift between her family and friends. Her friends all abandon her because of this change in her, but she no longer cares. Living seems like a waste, when she could be searching for Max in her dreams.
Again, I found philosophical underpinnings to the story, like I did with “Buried Fire”. You can easily interpret it to represent someone who has become obsessed with a behavior that may not be good for them, be it alcohol, drugs, or a relationship. And instead of taking heed of warnings from loved ones, the person just shoves everyone away; Assuming the problem is with the world, and not with them.
Charlie has to be brought to the brink of chaos in order to realize she is in trouble.
CHARLIE
I actually didn't find many of the characters really likable. I was indifferent most of the time. Don't get me wrong, I felt bad for Charlie. But she keeps everyone at an arm's length. I really wished there had been at least one character she had confided in. But then again, that might have ruined the tension. The whole plot is about her and her secret, which causes trouble for her and her family. It's when this secret is finally exposed does the journey to try and save her start.
PLOT DRIVEN
I feel like “Buried Fire”, this story is really plot driven, rather then character driven. But how can that be, when it's Charlie's obsession with Max that propels the story? It's because we don't get to see Charlie's relationship with Max. It's all past tense. And that's fine, the reader still wants her to save him. But it's the fact that everyone thinks she's crazy that makes us want her to succeed. Not her friendship with Max which we know nothing about.
WHAT'S THE RISK?
If Charlie is merely in a dream world, there doesn't seem to be much of a threat. But eventually we see that the world may not be what it seems. And Charlie has more to worry about back in the real world than making her family upset. Stroud eventually lets us know that there is real danger, and that if she gets hurt in that world, it may affect her real body.
CLIMAX-SPOILERS
Parts of the other world cross over to the real world, and put Charlie in danger. But eventually in the dream world she makes it to the fair. And her dream activity starts to affect her real world body. Jamie has to go after her but this proves easier said then done. The scenes cut back and forth to help the pacing.
AFTER THE CHAOS
Like “Buried Fire”, the story seems to cut away just as we want to see what happens. I wanted to see James and Charlie discuss the madness that had occurred, I think simply because relationships in stories are what matters to me the most. But Stroud leaves that to the reader to imagine. The story ends when the action ends. It left me wanting more, but perhaps that is a good thing.
CONCLUSION
Stroud creates an original, well paced story with plenty of danger and mystery. The reader is left wanting more and keeps turning the page in hopes of finding out if Charlie can indeed save Max. The only criticism I have is that the characters are not the most likable. I give “The Leap” four stars.
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