Stephen King is probably one of my most-read authors – honestly, probably the most. His books were my gateway into serious, "adult" fiction in my late teens and I always think back on my experience discovering them very fondly. It's been quite a few years since I've read a King novel though. Not because I don't like him anymore or anything – but really because I'd read so much King that I was a little tapped out on his style and had also started exploring classics/literary fiction for a while.
11/2/63 was pretty much the last "major" work of King I had left in terms of books that are generally considered among his best. Happened to come upon it at a thrift store recently and decided now is as good a time as any.
I pretty much blew through the book in less than a week, and the entire time, all I could think of was that damn, my guy still got it. This is basically an old master flexing his muscles and telling people alright, you want a 900-page time-travel narrative that's equal parts espionage thriller, a sweet love story and a slice-of-life nostalgic glance into 50s Americana? And you want me to make it utterly compelling pretty much the entire way through? Bet.
I was in fact pretty surprised by how un-King this book felt. Obviously he's much more than just a horror writer and has knocked it out of the park in multiple genres, but his best works – It, The Shining, The Stand, Pet Sematary, Misery etc. – for me has always been straight-up horror or horror-adjacent.
The core of 11/22/63 is, in fact, a love story. A large part of the book is focused on Jake and Sadie's relationship and although it's nominally about Jake stopping Lee Harvey Oswald from killing JFK, the romance takes centre stage for large parts of the book. It's done extremely well too, and the associated themes of second chances and doing things right next time looms large over the book, as you would expect from a time travel story. It genuinely felt like this part of the book is the story King really wanted to tell. Jake's become one of my favourite King protagonists after this.
What I also loved is the first arc of the book where Jake's just exploring 50s USA after stepping through the rabbit hole for the first time and culminating in saving the Dunning family. This section honestly could have been its own book and still be a really damn good story. King's ability to conjure small-town America across eras has always been one of his greatest skills and it's no different here. He just makes these places and the people who reside in them so real and lived-in. I spent so much time reading settings like these throughout King's catalog – it was almost like hanging out with an old friend. I honestly could have just read an entire book of Jake exploring USA in the 50s. It was also really cool to see a little cameo by Beverley and Ritchie from It.
Also, 11/22/63 is blessedly free from one of King's biggest weaknesses, in that it actually has a pretty good ending. It was emotional and bittersweet, and wrapped up the story in a pretty satisfying way. I would've loved to see a little bit more of the apocalyptic world that Jake's prevention of JFK's assassination led to, but I get that it wasn't really the point of the story.
My nitpicks about the book are pretty minor. For such a large book, it's paced very well and even the more leisurely sections are enjoyable to read. I will say though that some of the middle sections in Jodie dragged a little bit. I didn't find the numerous school/community events and dances all that compelling, and some sections with Jake being a life-changing teacher for the schoolchildren veered dangerously close to being cheesy.
The actual hunt for Oswald and stopping him from killing JFK – I wouldn't say it feels like an afterthought per se, but compared to the dive into 50s/60s America and the Jake/Sadie relationship, it wasn't as interesting.
Ultimately these aren't really big enough issues to stop me from loving the book as a whole. I'm glad I made the decision to return to being a Constant Reader.
by keepfighting90