11-22-1963. You might recognize this historically important date. On this day in Dallas, Texas, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated as his motorcade drove through the town. The nation mourned and our collective history changed. What great things might Kennedy have done? Would he have won his reelection bid? Would we have pulled out of Vietnam? Would the Civil Rights Act have been enacted sooner, or would it have fallen apart? Would we have joined Russia in a joint space travel mission and avoided the Cold War?
What if Kennedy had lived?
Stephen King tackles this question in the novel 11/22/63. The story focuses on English teacher Jake Epping. Through a series of events, Jake is led to a time portal in his local diner (don’t question the science – just accept it) that leads the traveler to September 9, 1958, at 11:58 a.m. You can stay in the past for any amount of time, even years, but only two minutes will have gone by when you return to your present. You can also change the past. But that means you change the future.
To fulfill a dying friend’s request, Jake goes back to 1958 with a goal. Stop the assassination of John F. Kennedy. In their minds, the assassination of Kennedy was a turning point in America’s history. So how do you stop an assassination? You find the assassin. The novel follows Jake as he attempts to fit into the 1950s and ’60s while he struggles with the question – should he stop Oswald? If so, does this mean killing him? Part of his new life in the past includes Sadie, a gawky, lovable librarian who lives firmly in her own decade. What if Jake goes back to his? And if he pursues a relationship with Sadie, will that change her future for something better than she would have had?
This book read like a true Stephen King novel, just without supernatural creatures jumping out at you. (Although Jake does end up in Derry, Maine, for a brief time!) King has an easy warmth to his writing that I love. It always feels like you are sitting down with a cup of coffee and a dear friend. I honestly did not have high hopes for 11/22/63 despite his other nonhorror stories being some of my favorites (Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, The Body, The Eyes of the Dragon, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft). I was wrong. I loved the story, I cried, I cheered, and thought about it after finishing the book. I remember this story. I think I will go back and reread it!
NOTE: While I was researching this article, I discovered that there was a mini-series based on the book! How did I not know that? I may have to turn in my Stephen King fan club membership! I guess I will be getting a Hulu subscription now.
