11/22/63 by Stephen King

11/22/63 by Stephen King

Life can turn on a dime—or stumble into the extraordinary, as it does for Jake Epping, a high school English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine. While grading essays by his GED students, Jake reads a gruesome, enthralling piece penned by janitor Harry Dunning: fifty years ago, Harry somehow survived his father’s sledgehammer slaughter of his entire family. Jake is blown away...but an even more bizarre secret comes to light when Jake’s friend Al, owner of the local diner, enlists Jake to take over the mission that has become his obsession—to prevent the Kennedy assassination. How? By stepping through a portal in the diner’s storeroom, and into the era of Ike and Elvis, of big American cars, sock hops, and cigarette smoke... Finding himself in warmhearted Jodie, Texas, Jake begins a new life. But all turns in the road lead to a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald. The course of history is about to be rewritten...and become heart-stoppingly suspenseful.

Hey! Here's my review.

This was the first book I've read by Stephen King. I have avoided them in the past because I thought they were all horror. A friend recommended this one to me and told me not all his books are horror. This was a wonderful introduction to the writing style of Stephen King.

I knew the basic plot was around time travel and the assassination of JFK. I find the concept of time travel fascinating, and the author did a great job of explaining the way it worked in this book. The time period and details around the JFK assassination were very well researched. The writing style was quite descriptive and I was able to visualise the setting.
I liked the main character and enjoyed the romantic element to the story too. My favourite part of all was the numerous scenes and references to Lindy-Hop and swing dancing. That is my other passion apart from reading and I have never stumbled across it in a book before. 

★★★★
  • Where: Local library
  • Format: paperback
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