What would you change if you could go back in time? Would you choose to change an event that impacted your life or would you leave the past unchanged, wary of what unintended consequences that change might bring? With knowledge of the future, would you try to change the course of history for the entire world?
Such is the question faced by Jake Epping, the main character in Stephen King’s 11/22/63. In 2011 Jake is a divorced high school teacher from Maine who suddenly finds himself trying to alter the course of history at the request of the owner/short-order cook at the local diner. Al, the owner, stumbled upon a time portal that leads to 11:58 a.m. on September 9, 1958. Although he had initially used the portal to buy cheap ground chuck for his diner, Al realized that it could be used for much more significant pursuits. He singled out the assassination of John F. Kennedy as the event that, if reversed, would change history for the better. To this end, Al has made preparations but cancer prevents him from carrying his mission through. Al enlists Jake to finish what he could not.
The bulk of the story follows Jake (a.k.a. George) as he spends the intervening years between 1958 and 1963. He spends some time in Derry, Maine (with some not so subtle references to “It”) before heading down the East Coast to Florida and Louisiana en route to Dallas, Texas. All the while, he struggles with a past that does not want to be changed; giving the story ominous overtones that any avid King reader would appreciate. All the while, George struggles with his mission: Is he doing the right thing trying to change the past? As he builds a life in the past, does he even want to return to 2011? Should he take his new love with him?
The story is one part love story, one part time travel, and one part suspense. However, the end of the book leaves no doubt as to who wrote it, answering the questions presented in the book in a way that only Stephen King can do. On the whole, 11.22.63 probably won’t do much for a reader who prefers the classic King thrillers. However, the book showcases the amazing storytelling ability of King and leaves the reader wondering… What if? |
