The novel 11/22/63 by Stephen King is an alternate-history
historically fictional piece about the prevention of JFK’s assassination. Jake
Epping, the protagonist is an English teacher in the early 2010s who first
reads an assignment from his student about how his life was changed when his
family was killed by his drunken father. Jake ends up feeling terrible for the
student whose memories shared burn in his mind. Jake’s friend Al meets up him
at his dinner to discuss what’s recently happened to Al. He tells Jake that his
rapid aging is due to his time in the past, late ‘50s and early ‘60s, which he
achieved by using his pantry which houses time travel abilities. Jake finds
this silly and at first doesn’t believe Al, but after he tries it for himself,
he learns the power it holds. After Jake comes back to the present, Al tells
him how he must go back and kill Lee Harvey Oswald, the assassinator of
President John F. Kennedy.
Jake first wants to do change the life of the student, whose
life was destroyed back in 1958, using this as a smaller trial to start off his
quest to change the past. He sets off back in time and begins his life-changing
and time-changing actions.
There were three key settings in this novel: first being Libson
Falls, Maine in the year 2011, where Jake was a teacher and the other two being
Jodie, Texas near Dallas and Derry, Maine both of these settings occurred when
he was in the past.
This book is the exact book that will pick up and read again
and again, it’s that good. I’ve never read a book that I can say is just as
compelling to me as one of my favorite movies. This is probably the greatest,
or at least second greatest book I’ve ever read in my fifteen years alive. The
conflicts, the relationships, the settings all appealed to me as I read the
story.
The main character, Jake, is a very well laid out and
relatable person, one I don’t usually read of in my free time. His ex-wife was
an alcoholic and he hadn’t fond anyone to be with since the divorce. He doesn’t
have many friends according to what information we are given about him, but
this makes it easier for him to go back in time, he needs a new setting, new
people. This makes his events even more enjoyable.
This was one of Stephen King’s more recent works dating 2011
for when it was published. Stephen King is known for the books The Shining, TheDark Half, and The Dark Tower series. He is also one of my more likeable
authors.
This book is a must by, even if your not a time travel or
assassination preferred reader, the elements of the story won’t have you second
guessing.
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