Review by Sofie Fowler.
The Leaping is Tom Fletcher’s first novel, a horror story set in North West England told in alternating chapters through the eyes of Jack and Francis. Both live in a house that is one step up 
digs and work in a call centre in Manchester, a soul destroying place that Fletcher describes wonderfully, presenting it almost as a living thing alive with humming electricity. There is one bright point about the place for Jack in that it is where he meets Jennifer, a beautiful and intriguing girl who is the object of his desires. Jack introduces her to his housemates and it is immediately apparent that Francis shares his affections for the girl.
As the story progresses, Jack becomes more and more frustrated with the urban grind of the city, feeling suffocated by the press of people. He and Jennifer take a drive to the Lake District to visit Francis’ parents and immediately fall in love with Fell House, an old farm house in the fells of Cumbria. Fletcher describes the untamed, rolling fells with skillful language, personifying the spirit of the place. Setting is key to the story, providing a symbolic backdrop to the character’s needs and wants. Jack wishes to escape the city and find freedom in nature so Jennifer buys Fell House and she and Jack move into it.
This theme of escapism and freedom runs through the book, tightly woven into the main horror plot and the sub-plot of the love triangle between Jack, Jennifer and Francis. Jennifer is a believer in “free-love”, a concept that Jack finds very difficult to come to terms with, going against his desire to own her completely. She invites the flirtations with Francis and passionately rejects Jack’s possessive attitude. This sub-plot runs in perfect synchronicity with the unfolding horror.
In the first two thirds of the book, the story is very much focused on Jack and Jennifer’s relationship, moving into the horror element of the story in the last third. The suspense is allowed to build from the first inclination of something being wrong, when Jack’s floor manager Kenny is discovered in an alley being violently sick within the first few pages, to the dramatic and gruesome events of part three. Whilst the shift from love and escapism to horror is well orchestrated, perhaps the earlier introduction of the horror element would have quickened the pace.
The strongest element of Fletcher’s writing is his use of language. He has an almost poetic style that flows seamlessly and really carries the story forward. The dialogue between Jack and his housemates contains some hilarious banter and really captures a youthful apathy, whilst the dialogue between Jack and Jennifer is the non-sequitur peppered language of lovers in the first flush of romance. Fletcher plays with language, experimenting with sentence length, repetition and rhythm. It gives the impression of a writer who loves to write, enjoying the different effects produced from various techniques. He has a talent for using imagery and symbolism to weave the themes into the setting and character development.
In fact, character development is another strong element of The Leaping. As the book is split between two voices, their individual character traits are revealed through their actions and relationships with their family and friends. For example, Francis is extremely neurotic to the point of being a hypochondriac, as he frequently thinks about the carcinogenic properties of everyday substances. That and his regular testicular checking. Francis also has a likeable trait of analysing people based on their taste in films and music. Fletcher brings these details in through Francis, cleverly providing background context for each character.
There is a lot more to say about this book, especially the ending, which is shocking and gruesome yet fitting, but I don’t want to reveal too much as I would recommend The Leaping to anyone. Horror is very difficult to pull off well and sometimes unconvincing, Fletcher, however, offers a fresh and explorative version of a well-trodden concept. The characters are strong and believable, it is very easy to identify with them. The settings are well described and atmospheric, the plot well-paced and captivating. On the whole, The Leaping is a definite page-turner.
Tom Fletcher lives and works in Manchester. His short stories have been published in anthologies Before the Rain (Flax) and Parenthesis (Comma Press). Nightjar Press also published his short story The Safe Children as a chapbook. You can read his blog at www.fell-house.wordpress.com. His next novel The Thing On The Shore will be available in Spring 2011.
Review by Sofie Fowler www.sofiefowler.com
Editor: RH