11/22/63

I forgot how much I really like Stephen King.

Upon hearing about his latest novel, “11/22/63” earlier this fall, I was intrigued at the plot line—and surprised at my interest, since it had been at least 10 years, if not longer, since I read anything by King. He was one of my favorites as a teen (LOVED “The Stand” — still one of my all-time favorites), but for reasons unknown (I hear the Dark Tower series is fantastic), I just hadn’t picked anything up.

My jaw dropped at the book’s heft — all 849 pages of it. But on the library wait list it went, and I was lucky enough to score it over the holiday break, which gave me a solid block of time to commit to read it. The commitment was an easy one—I was hooked after the first few pages.

The tale of Jake Epping’s travel through time to save President Kennedy is epic—and classic King. Spooky, creepy and romantic—yes, romantic—Epping’s trip takes him to several locales in his attempts not only to save the president, but to save or positively alter the lives of several of Epping’s acquaintances in modern day Lisbon Falls. And while he doesn’t set out to find his one true love, he does in the form of Sadie Dunhill, a Texas librarian trying to run from her own past. (Creepy husband indeed! And a jackass family — I wanted to reach through the pages of the book and hold that poor girl’s hand.)

When face with a no-win choice, who does Jake save? Is a world where Kennedy survives better? Worse? Can anyone change history for the better? Read the book and find out. I’m not going to tell. But I will say this—Jake Epping might not be a crying man, but his last move left me teary-eyed, in the very best way.

11/22/63
Stephen King