Review: Stephen King’s 11/22/63

It’s been years since I picked up a Stephen King novel but he has been churning them out as regularly as ever. His writing and his story-telling genre have both evolved tremendously from the spine-chilling days of Pet Sematary and Christine.  There is often an air of the supernatural about the stories but they don’t necessarily scare you out of your skivvies anymore.  He’s gone from the king of the big scare to the sultan of subtle shivers.

The new book is huge.  It’s got to be 2-and-a-half inches thick. 842 pages.  It’s intimidating and a definite toe-crusher if you happen to drop it. But I’m betting you’d find it too difficult to put down let alone slip out of your hands. The title refers to the date that JFK was assassinated and I don’t want to give too much away but the story centres on time travel and changing history.   It’s that and so very much more.   King is the master, no question.  If you’ve ever dismissed him as just a horror writer, you’re missing out on some top-notch story-telling, characters you wish were your friends (and some you’d never want to meet) as well as an alternate universe so believable, it’s hard to leave it alone for a while.

There is no hint of what’s to come.  Oh you think so.  At some point in this tall and thick tale a resolution comes to mind but I’m pretty confident in saying whatever you guess will happen will be wrong. King first thought of writing this particular story in 1972 but he put it aside and he says he’s glad he did.  1972 still would have been too soon.  Perspective has grown and so much has happened in the world.  It’s a bigger story just by having a longer gaze back at the event.

This is the second book I’ve read recently that imagines what some well-known, real life people were like.  The first was The Paris Wife, a fictionalized version of Ernest Hemingway’s first marriage.   In 11/22/63 even more famous folks are brought back to life and credibly animated from meticulously researched historical records.  I was a baby when JFK was killed.  Living the times through King’s novel is thrilling and endearing.  He stays fairly true to the facts with little alterations in timelines and other minor changes.  The story weaves and bobs and is so enthralling – don’t let its size fool you. It keeps you hooked as only a King story can.

PS. This book has almost convinced me that it’s time to buy a Kobo or another tablet book reader.  Trying to read a hard-cover of this size in bed is a challenge!  Maybe it’s time to go higher tech.