Would you like to read some unconventional yet engaging stories? Well, The Jump by Peter A. Hempel is the best option for you. The first tale introduces us to Aaron and his wife, Vicki. After his morning run, Aaron notices that a section of his left foot is swollen. He shrugs it off. When pain escalates, Aaron schedules an appointment with his doctor. After running tests in the hospital, the results are that he has an apple tree seedling sprouting from his foot! Vicki is not having any of that nonsense.

Another story is about a Jewish girl and her Barbie doll. What would you tell your spouse when they asked you whether or not you’d die for them? Would it be a plain yes or no response? Well, Professor Abe faces such a predicament.

The choice of words for each story was captivating. I enjoyed it when the author employed the idea of having characters narrate stories within a story. That concept is evident in the narrative featuring Dwayne and his motive to make more money through writing.

There was this particular story I loved the most. The author named it “How I Started Writing Porn.” I hated to love it. It’s about a guy named Dwayne who made writing his side hustle. Don’t get confused here. He used to steal other people’s tales and make them his own. He then added sex scenes to spice the stories for better market value. I pitied the shy Archie for entrusting Dwayne and even reaching out to him for advice, while he was the same person who stole and submitted his story and made it appear as though it was his original work. I kept wondering how dumb and myopic of a man Archie was.

In one of the tales, there is some unorthodox sexual intercourse between a lady and a group of male chimpanzees. The idea of a white woman being intimate with wild animals in Africa tends to raise eyebrows. Therefore, possessing an open mind for this story would go a long way.

There were only a few grammatical errors. Therefore, The Jump by Peter A. Hempel is professionally edited. I award it 4 out of 4 stars because each story is independent of the other. Plus, some dark-humored tales gave me goosebumps all over. I didn’t dislike anything. I recommend the volume to any reader who enjoys a book with short, compelling stories.

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