Jumping: A Novel

by Jane Peranteau

Jumping is a work of visionary fiction that begins with a nihilistic act. The main character a young man, who feels life's limits are killing him, drives to a remote area, walks 100 yards, and leaps into a dark and mysterious chasm, known locally as the "Void." Friends and family are stunned. What he meets in the Void is his own larger spiritual history--a cohort of souls he incarnated with, a string of past lives he visits--and he's changed profoundly and permanently. Because of his story, others jump. What are they jumping to? Duncan Robert is the first to jump. No one saw him do it, but some claim they felt something at the moment he jumped--a sort of missed beat, or skip, in the order of things. The Void waits in the woods just outside of town and has for as long as anyone can remember, though no one knows why. In the tradition of The Celestine Prophecy and Mutant Message Down Under , this teaching fable explores the necessity of taking risks, life beyond the limits and time and space, and humanity's place in the universe. "In a way, Jumping is similar to spiritually directed fantasy or channeled work. I've never written anything like it and typically don't read anything like it, so I'm short on language to describe it. It's metaphysical and fiction, which removes it from the category of straight channeling or metaphysical self-help books." --Jane Peranteau

288 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2014

About the author

Jumping: a Novel won Hampton Roads 2014 Next Best Fiction Writers Contest and is my first novel.

It has been categorized as spiritual, speculative fiction, and fantasy, and draws on my experience of growing up in a large household in which people saw ghosts, made predictions, and believed in the power of the unknown. It has been compared to spiritual journey books such as Mutant Messages From Down Under, an old favorite of mine, and the Celestine Prophecies, a transformative book for its time.

I have worked in, taught, and written about minority and under-served communities for more than twenty years and hold advanced degrees in communication theory and practice. I've always read and written.

I currently lives in Mountainair, NM, and enjoy family, friends, and the outdoors, when I'm not writing.

Reviews

[Jane Peranteau]

As the author of Jumping: a Novel (winner of Hampton Roads 2014 Next Best Fiction Writers Contest), the question I'm asked most often is what motivated me to write this book. I usually offer two primary reasons.
First, every psychic I’ve seen, and that would be about a half dozen in the past decade, generally done with a group for fun, would ask me where my book was. Not that psychics necessarily have a corner on the truth, but by the time the sixth one asks you, you begin to wonder! Second, and more seriously, I took a creative writing class, and my classmates always wanted me to read my stories first because they couldn’t wait to see what happened next. The book began with that class, though I didn’t know it. Those two things made me begin to think of myself as a writer.
It didn't hurt that, once I got out of the way, the book basically wrote itself.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's got some very interesting ideas...a little too metaphysical in places for me, but I liked the back story and since the author is a friend of mine, I'm really interested in where she got all her ideas! That said, it is similar in the idea that we need to live our lives fully every day and try to understand the possibility that we can live many many lives until we finally get it "right". It's a lovely idea to think about, and I like the idea of "jumping" as a metaphor for the many things in life that we seem to jump into with or without thinking or, in some cases, fear to do so.

[Megann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those books I just could not get into. I have been reading it now for a month and am trying to finish it but it just is not keeping my interest. I would recommend reading it because we all feel differently about things and I would love to hear your take on it. Maybe I am just missing something.....

[Mohamed Rezgui · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the greatest books I ve ever read. Jumping is a book that has infinite teaching materials. I love this book and I thank miss Jane for this amazing reading experience :)

Check my review Jumping

[LC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just finished and not yet ready to comment. There are disturbing images here and I'm not convinced that they are warranted.

[Lyndsey F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started off kind of slow but it ended up being really good. It definitely makes you think about the world and life.

[Lauri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really interesting book. People jumping into a mysterious void and experiencing alternate worlds. Very strange and thought provoking. I loved it.