Title : 11.22.63
Author(s) : Stephen King
Category : Fiction
Genre : Science-Fiction/Quasi-Historical/Mystery
No. of Pages : 740 Pages
Format : Paperback
Publisher : Hodder & Stoughton
Publication Date : November 8, 2011
ISBN : 9781444727333
Read Date : September 6, 2019
Rating : 5/5 ⭐
“Life turns on a dime.”
I’m about to review a 740 Pages King book, hope I’m able to do justice to it.
Jake Epping an English Teacher at Lisbon High School (LHS), Maine, left by his wife, who thought he lacked an emotional gradient (of course he didn’t; he just never cried), is our protagonist. His life changes when he receives a call from Al Templeton, owner of Al’s Diner, which wasn’t visited by anyone from the LHS except Jake. Next he knows they are discussing about visiting a totally different time of the world, with a little practical exploration that Al offers him.
Yes, time travel – travelling back to the era of 1950s without any sort of electronic gadgets on himself, through Al’s Diner’s pantry. As if the discovery of this wasn’t already hard enough for Jake to digest, Al already has further plans for him. The very reason Al made him a confidant to his secret. What if they could use this secret to the advantage of the future world by avoiding the assassination of John F. Kennedy? Al, who doesn’t have much time, uses this as a dying man’s wish to convince Jake.
The book follows Jake’s journey into the past, America during the 50s and 60s. The conviction of the dying man Al for this mission is so inordinate that he has prepared notes for Jake on the things related to the big incident – the location, the killer, the killer’s life all relevant details along with other stuff that Jake may require in the “Land of Ago”. Avoiding the assassination of JFK seems to be a mammoth task for Jake. In order to ensure he would succeed in it, he first tries to change the past by avoiding certain incidents in the lives of other people he knows in the present day (2011). But just like everything there are certain rules for travelling in the past as well. His life in the past begins on September 9, 1958 which is a long time up to Kennedy’s assassination on November 22, 1963.
During his time in the “Land of Ago” other than reading Al’s notes and waiting for his acquaintanceship with Lee Harvey Oswald, the killer as per Al’s notes and studies of various conspiracy theories, he also needs to live his life from Derry to Dallas to Jodie. He happens to take up teaching in that era as well. That’s when Sadie Dunhill, the school Librarian enters his life and he is in love with her head over heels. But he is in the past and can never be able to tell her that.
As the month of November 1963, approaches he needs to focus to the only reason he has landed up in this era. With all his planning and plotting and observing will he succeed in stopping the incident that changed the world? Or does “the Past” have a way of settling accounts? Even if he does happen to succeed will the world change for better or worse?
Stephen King has done thorough justice to the thickness of this book. First things first, the cover of this book – the title, the picture and the blurb clearly tell you topic is going to touched. The Minutest details of time travel have been considered. The plot develops so naturally and smoothly. The entire span of five years in the “Land of Ago” have been given justice through Jake’s life there. The way King writes about the Past, sentences like – “When you try to change the past, it bites. It’ll tear your throat out if you give it a chance” makes the readers feel like the past is also a main character in this book. Phrases used for referring to the nature of “the Past” have been authenticated by depicting certain events. (The Past is obdurate, the past harmonizes itself) Moving to the characters. Jake’s character is a matured one – one who knows exactly what he is doing and who plans a lot before taking any action to change anything in the past. Except for the task on hand, his character is that of just any ordinary guy who believes in the good, in helping others grow and enjoys the little pleasures that life has to offer – like Lindy Hoping; dancing (Dancing is life) and loving immensely (If there is Love, small pox scars are as pretty as dimples).
Another wonderful character is that of Sadie Dunhill. Her character has been built beautifully – a clumsy, flawed girl with totally relatable reactions to what life throws at her. Their love story is a sweet one with a strong connection, realistic quarrels, a lot of caring and yes no unnecessary erotic scenes just in order to keep the reader hooked. Adequate light has been thrown into the life of Lee Harvey Oswald. Full justice has been done to the climax.
The amount of research King has put into this book is beyond imagination. His details can make his readers indulge into some research of their own as well.
All-in-all this was a fascinating and fantastic read. And no, King doesn’t write just Horrors!
Whether you are a King fan or not, this book deserves to be read.
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