The Leap

The Leap is a fantasy novel by Jonathan Stroud, published in 2001. It centers around a girl whose best friend drowns in a mill pool.

Plot introduction

Everyone says that Max has drowned, but Charlie thinks differently: she was in the mill-pool with him, and knows exactly what she saw. When she begins to see him in her dreams, her hopes are raised. It seems the reunion she craves is possible. But where exactly is Max leading her? And will she be able to return?

Defining attributes in The Leap

The story weaves a fantasy into everyday life, but for the most part it is confined to Charlie's dreams (and later, her perception of the waking world). With only a few clues, the reader is kept guessing whether it is all in Charlie's imagination, or whether there is a reality behind the dream. No simple answer is given, even at the end.

<blockquote>After the high adventures of Buried Fire, I was interested in a more low-key and subtle investigation of how fantasy and reality collide. The book is split between the perspectives of Charlie, who believes something strange has happened, and her brother James, who doesn’t. It is up to the reader to decide whose side to take. - Jonathan Stroud

Characters

Charlotte "Charlie" Fetcher:

Protagonist. At the beginning of the story, Charlie witnesses the drowning at a mill pool of her best friend, Max. Her memories...
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