11/22/63

By Stephen King
Diner owner Al has discovered a portal to the past, 1958 to be exact. After using the portal for a time to keep his diner running, he decides to change history and prevent the assassination of John F. Kennedy. He has come to believe that this event is monumental and completely changes the course of history. Unfortunately, Al becomes terminally ill with lung cancer and must abandon his plan. He looks to Jake Epping, his only friend and high school teacher, to carry out his objective. After a quick visit to 1958 Maine, Jake begins his five year quest to change history.
Jake is guided by detailed notes provided by Al regarding the action of Lee Harvey Oswald and the knowledge that if he fails he can try again (as each venture into the past gives a complete reset). Just as Al warned him, the past is obdurate and will do whatever it can to resist change. Jake decides that his first objective will be to save the life of the family of one of his students. Jake was teaching adult education classes and was moved by an essay written by one of his students. The essay, while poorly written, was dramatic in its content. “Hoptoad” Harry details how his father killed his family and maimed him in a drunken rage. This emotional story sets the stage for King to display how difficult it is to change the past. We are left to wonder if changing such a simple event can be so difficult, what may happen when Jake tries to intervene with the public execution of a US President? What potential cascade of events and history may occur as a result? Jake deals with the typical problems of everyday life and love, and also with those problems associated with a time traveler from the future trying to change the stubborn past. The pages leading to the climax of the novel are fast paced and the book was very hard to put down at this point. And, as usual, I was very pleased with the conclusion to the novel.
I really enjoyed this story and all the events that occurred to Jake as he travelled from Maine to Texas. King did a wonderful job of immersing the reader in all the details of the late 50’s and early 60’s. As is typical with King’s writing, I felt that the bulk of the novel would stand alone just fine, even without the time travel and pursuit of Lee Harvey Oswald. His character development and the relationships that blossom were well established and convincing. In addition to being an interesting book, it also gave me a new perspective on Lee Harvey Oswald. While this book is obviously not meant to be a detailed history of Oswald, or a reliable biographical work, King brought up some important facts about Oswald’s life leading up to his assassination of John F. Kennedy. In the past, I found it fairly romantic to think that maybe there is more to the story than just a lone gunman. King brought up some information I had not previously heard of, namely Oswald’s probable involvement in the assassination attempt on Major General Edwin Walker. This changed my perspective of Oswald from a potentially innocent patsy, to an egomaniac looking to change the world and make a name for himself. What was also interesting about this book was the fact that King had initially attempted this novel in the 70’s. He ultimately decided that the combination of fresh wounds and difficulty writing the story (I guess the story was obdurate too: you’ll get that joke if you read the book) to abandon the work. Boy am I glad he got back to it after all these years. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good “edge of your seat” thriller, especially those with a romantic attachment to the 50’s and 60’s.
Rating: 5 out of 5 Bunsen Burners.
Up Next: Death with Interruptions by José Saramago.