Jumper
Jumper by Steven Gould
David Rice has been abandoned by his mother and is basically held prisoner by his abusive drunk of a dad. One night when he is scared and stressed out, he finds that he has jumped away from home and has wound up in the local library. Pretty soon he discovers that he can control this talent and that he is capable of jumping anywhere he's been whenever he wants, as long as he can picture the place in his mind.
He jumps from his home in the Midwest to New York City where he can disappear in the crowds. He manages to find a place to live and he robs a bank of enough money to keep him going. Davie is smart enough to be careful and he knows that he doesn't want a life of crime. He makes a couple of rash moves when he gets himself in emotional situations, until he meets a college student and falls in love.
The other turning point in Davie's life has to do with his mother. He finally finds her and they have a wonderful reunion. Then, she is killed while on vacation in a terrorist attack. Davie sets out to hunt down the man responsible for her death. He gets involved in stopping many terrorist attacks and putting a lot of terrorists out of action.
This book was interesting, I guess. The "what if?" factor you get by reading it is worth it alone. But, I can't say that the story went where I thought it would, or even that I liked the direction it took. David Rice was an interesting and likable character. The terrorist angle really came out of nowhere and wasn't in keeping with the rest of the story. I found it jarring and it messed up the narrative for me.
