It's Just a Jump to the Left

by Libba Bray

When the lights dimmed and the familiar red lips and white teeth glowed on the screen, the audience erupted into cheers, and Leta felt that surge of excitement in her belly, the thrill of sitting in the dark with strangers sharing an experience that made them all seem like friends. Best friends Agnes and Leta have a Friday night ritual. They spend an hour trying on different lipsticks, experimenting with eyeliner, and torturing their hair before they head off to the Cineplex for the midnight showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. That was always the routine, until Agnes started dating Roger, and left Leta behind. But between Leta's awkward first kiss; her crush on Tom, the cute guy at the movie theater; and her absentee dad, everything feels so out of control--she could really use her best friend right now. Can Agnes and Leta find their way to a new and better friendship? In this short story by New York Times bestselling author of The Diviners, Libba Bray revisits a time when we all felt stuck somewhere between childhood and adolescence.

Genres: Young Adult, Short Stories, Novella, Historical Fiction, Coming Of Age, Contemporary, Pop Culture

59 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 12, 2015

About the author

What is it about writing an author bio that gives me that deer-in-headlights feeling? It's not exactly like I'm going to say "I was born in Alabama…" and somebody's going to jump up and snarl, "Oh yeah? Prove it!" At least I hope not.

I think what gets me feeling itchy is all that emphasis on the facts of a life, while all the juicy, relevant, human oddity stuff gets left on the cutting room floor. I could tell you the facts–I lived in Texas for most of my life; I live in New York City with my husband and six-year-old son now; I have freckles and a lopsided smile; I'm allergic to penicillin.

But that doesn't really give you much insight into me. That doesn't tell you that I stuck a bead up my nose while watching TV when I was four and thought I'd have to go to the ER and have it cut out. Or that I once sang a punk version of "Que Sera Sera" onstage in New York City. Or that I made everyone call me "Bert" in ninth grade for no reason that I can think of. See what I mean?

God is in the details. So with that in mind, here is my bio. Sort of.


TEN THINGS YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT ME by Libba Bray

1. I lived in Texas until I was 26 years old, then I moved to New York City with $600.00 in my shoe ('cause muggers won't take it out of your shoe, y'know . . . riiiiight . . .) and a punchbowl (my grandmother's gift) under my arm. I ended up using the punchbowl box as an end table for two years.

2. My dad was a Presbyterian minister. Yes, I am one of those dreaded P.K.s–Preacher's Kids. Be afraid. Be very afraid . . .

3. The first story I ever wrote, in Mrs. McBee's 6th grade English class, was about a girl whose family is kidnapped and held hostage by a murderous lot of bank robbers who intend to kill the whole family–including the dog–until the 12-year-old heroine foils the plot and saves the day. It included colored pencil illustrations of manly-looking, bearded criminals smoking, and, oblivious to the fact that The Beatles had already sort of laid claim to the title, I called my novel, HELP. My mom still has a copy. And when I do something she doesn't like, she threatens to find it.

4. My favorite word is "redemption." I like both its meaning and the sound. My least favorite word is "maybe." "Maybe" is almost always a "no" drawn out in cruel fashion.

5. My three worst habits are overeating, self-doubt, and the frequent use of the "f" word.

6. The three things I like best about myself are my sense of humor, my ability to listen, and my imagination.

7. I have an artificial left eye. I lost my real eye in a car accident when I was eighteen. In fact, I had to have my entire face rebuilt because I smashed it up pretty good. It took six years and thirteen surgeries. However, I did have the pleasure of freezing a plastic eyeball in an ice cube, putting it in a friend's drink, ("Eyeball in your highball?") and watching him freak completely. Okay, so maybe that's not going down on my good karma record. But it sure was fun.

8. In 7th grade, my three best friends and I dressed up as KISS and walked around our neighborhood on Halloween. Man, we were such dorks.

9. I once spent New Year's Eve in a wetsuit. I'd gone to the party in a black dress that was a little too tight (too many holiday cookies) and when I went to sit down, the dress ripped up the back completely. Can we all say, mortified? The problem was, my friends were moving out of their house–everything was packed and on a truck–and there was nothing I could put on . . . but a wetsuit that they still had tacked to the wall. I spent the rest of the party maneuvering through throngs of people feeling like a giant squid.

10. I got married in Florence, Italy. My husband and I were in love but totally broke, so we eloped and got married in Italy, where he was going on a business trip. We had to pull a guy off the street to be our witness. It was incredibly romantic.

Reviews

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boys, coming of age and Rocky Horror Picture Show. Need I say more? Why are 8th graders doing these things?! This story was good but part of me was horrified that girls so young would act this way. Forget first kisses! Lets turn it up a few notches! Well written but I would have felt out of my element as a teen and as an adult, I worry for the young girls out there now if they act this way.

[This Kooky Wildflower Loves a Little Tea and Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

Coming of age story centered around one of the greatest musicals ever. (Magenta forever!) 1970s life and two girls figuring where they fit. 2/5

[Kandice · Rating 2 out of 5]

I should have loved this story. My younger brother was a die-hard Rocky fan and was part of the “cast” for years, slowly working his way up from the part of “Fence post” to “Rocky” so I must have seen this about 200 times in the theater. My family also plays this movie as we decorate our Christmas tree each year. No, I don’t know why, anymore than I know why we watch “Monty Python’s Search for the Holy Grail” as we take it down!

This story was just too depressing! The girl it’s about has a God-awful life that is in no way improved by the end of the story. There aren’t even any glimmerings of the hope of improvement. I’m more receptive to this kind of gloom and doom in a novel, but in a short story I expect some kind fo resolution or change in situation. Here there was none. It was a bit of a “month in the life of drudgery” and I don’t need to read for that!

[Hannah Tekle · Rating 2 out of 5]

As an obsessive Libba Bray reader, this was so-so. I think more than anything it was just because I wasn't a fan of the prevalence of sex in this story, but I've always been considered a prude and I'm okay with that. I do have to give her credit for the fact that she aimed it at teens that age because that really is what life is like for teens in the past few decades. The characters are well-developed for being a short story and I almost gave it three stars simply for how much she developed in only 38 pages. But...they're only like 14 and at 24, I'm more of a Leta than an Agnes I guess.

[Stephanie ((Strazzybooks)) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nooo, that was it?! I felt it ended so abruptly because the Kindle version ends at 65%. I wanted more.
This was a love song to Rocky Horror, filled with all of the nostalgia of being 13/14 when everything is changing.
A good short story.

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't say this little short story blew my mind but I quite enjoyed it either way. it's a really touching tale about growing up, discovering yourself and dealing with whatever surrounds you. the rocky horror picture show setting completely warmed my heart. I love that movie so much, I wish I could go to those screenings too.

full review here: https://catshelf.wordpress.com/2016/0...

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Libba Bray is a very interesting author. No two stories are alike. You really never know what you are going to get when you open one of her books. For that reason, she is an author I am always compelled to read. I'm even more compelled to read her work when it focuses around a major part of my middle school year.

That being said, the nostalgia I received from all of the Rocky Horror Picture Show scenes is about all this story had going for it. The plot was mediocre and overdone. The characters fell into the same cookie-cutter trap as those in Bray's Beauty Queens. The bottom line is that it wasn't exactly compelling. It's written at the level of a younger audience, but the content is for an older one. Unfortunately, this story was completely lost on me.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m a huge RHPS fan, so I got a lot of sweet nostalgia for this short story. The teen drama was a bit annoying. I would have liked it more if the girls had been a few years older, but I do know that I have loved this movie during all stages of my life, so it was nice to see the effect it can have on all age groups.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just a cute short story about growing up and how much life can change so quickly in middle/high school. Set against the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Truly my biggest complaint is that it was so short. I would read a full novel of Leta and Agnes navigating 8th and 9th grade

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wondered what kind of parents would take their kid to a midnight showing every week - but more importantly, what kind of parent would pick them up again. #snoozebutton

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

THAT WAS SO CUTE I LOVE ROCKY HORROR SO MUCH

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This confirms my belief that Libba Bray should stick to fantasy. Her real world offerings always feel a bit forced. Still, not a bad read for a little 40-page novella.

[Zee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This...long story? Novelette? I'm not quite sure how to categorize it...might have worked better as a longer piece as a few of the elements deserved a bit more time and development than they got but it was an enjoyable read that captured well the attachment that some fans get to a property in which being a fan of something substitutes for the personal identity they've yet to find for themselves in themselves. Bray obviously knows her Rocky - a nice touch - and is particularly good at writing the complicated feelings of being in-between life stages. I would've liked just enough more story for some sort of resolution (even an open one) but it's a decent read even so.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The negative reviews here speak to our assumptions about 8th graders and the stories about them.

For me, this gorgeous, poignant, sad story captured the messy and on-going process of losing and finding yourself at fourteen.

[Brett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only three stars because, although it worked perfectly well as a short story, I felt so strongly about it & the characters that I wanted more. A lot more, really. What happens with Leta? Her family? Cawley? Agnes? I really want to know!

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The combined nostalgia of Libba Bray, one of my favorite writers when I was in junior high, and Rocky Horror, one of my favorite movies from high school, was perfect. Plus Libba Bray is just a good writer

[Madalyn (Novel Ink) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Huh. I adore Libba Bray, but this novella was a complete and total miss for me.

[Ashley Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story with fun Rocky Horror references, but I wish there was just more to the story. Even within the 50 pages, it could have made more of a bang.

[Madah J · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Libba Bray and I waited forever to read this book, so I'm just slightly disappointed by how absolutely fine it was. Not great. Not magical. Not scary or sad or anything really. Just fine.

[Judith · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was very enjoyable and would have been a 3 star if the ending wasnt that abrupt.

[Rose 'I Have Too Many Books To Read And No More Room' Barrientos · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was pretty good...loved the Rocky Horror element, wish it was longer.

[Gemma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure if that was an error on the kindle or if that’s how the story stops but it was extremely short

[Katrina Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute coming of age tale that uses Rocky Horror as the background.

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really excited for It's Just a Jump to the Left because Rocky Horror and friendship! However this was a lot younger than I anticipated and quite light on the friendship. Leta and Agnes are best friends and every Friday they go see The Rocky Horror Picture Show. At least until Agnes gets a boyfriend and abandons Leta. Now, Leta is all alone, having to deal with her stressed out mother, disabled brother, absent father, and clueless crush.

It's Just a Jump to the Left was weird. It was basically about eighth graders having sex, while not knowing that their favorite movie is about sex, which is just absurd. Also, it's quite unbelievable that two fourteen year olds are allowed into an R rated movie, when I still get carded at 27! Yes, it is explained, but it's still unbelievable. And there's really no resolution here. Agnes ditches Leta for a boy, Leta's life is falling apart, and then it's over. Okay, then.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[Rebekah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read two of Libba Bray's novels: Beauty Queens, and A Great and Terrible Beauty (which I DNFed). I absolutely LOVE Beauty Queens and I would recommend it in a heart beat. I had other reasons for DNFing AGATB, but overall it was a good read.

That being said, this short story really didn't do anything for me. I didn't find it to be funny, inspiring, or even endearing. It really just felt awkward. The characters were forgettable. Granted, it was entertaining enough to get me through my chemistry class, but that's about it.

True to Bray's style, there is mature content in this book. Triggers: sex and drugs

I would not recommend this purely because it does not showcase the awesome talent of this author.

[Casey, with a book]

I love Libba Bray and I love Rocky, so obviously.

As always, I have trouble rating novellas... But basically I think this novella really captures adolescence in all of its awkwardness, which I can relate to and appreciate. On the other hand, eighth grade is about the last setting I would ever want to revisit in such real detail, so.

[D. W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story wasn't bad, and I love Rocky Horror Picture Show. However the story was a little boring. Maybe if it would have been longer it would have had more time to develop and become a great coming-of-age story. I did like the main character, and I so wish that we could have seen more of her development. 3/5 because, again, Rocky Horror Picture Show.

[Sam · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to love this because I adore The Rocky Horror Picture Show but for a Libba Bray story, I was just so bored and disappointed. I didn't like the characters, and I didn't feel the friendship vibe that I thinks she was going for, and yeah, not for me. :(

[Alina · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was so cute and innocent! it was pretty predictable but I still enjoyed it. I just wanted more of the story! There is so much that needs to go more into depth but I loved the main character Leta. Solid short story but I love Libba Bray and wish there was more :(

[Jana Eichhorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Libba Bray + RHPS = I want more of this.