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11/22/63: A Novel Hardcover – Illustrated, November 8, 2011

by Stephen King (Author)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 3,498 ratings
Editors' pick Best Science Fiction & Fantasy
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On November 22, 1963, three shots rang out in Dallas, President Kennedy died, and the world changed. What if you could change it back? Stephen King’s heart-stoppingly dramatic new novel is about a man who travels back in time to prevent the JFK assassination—a thousand page tour de force.

Following his massively successful novel Under the Dome, King sweeps readers back in time to another moment—a real life moment—when everything went wrong: the JFK assassination. And he introduces readers to a character who has the power to change the course of history.


Jake Epping is a thirty-five-year-old high school English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine, who makes extra money teaching adults in the GED program. He receives an essay from one of the students—a gruesome, harrowing first person story about the night 50 years ago when Harry Dunning’s father came home and killed his mother, his sister, and his brother with a hammer. Harry escaped with a smashed leg, as evidenced by his crooked walk.

Not much later, Jake’s friend Al, who runs the local diner, divulges a secret: his storeroom is a portal to 1958. He enlists Jake on an insane—and insanely possible—mission to try to prevent the Kennedy assassination. So begins Jake’s new life as George Amberson and his new world of Elvis and JFK, of big American cars and sock hops, of a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald and a beautiful high school librarian named Sadie Dunhill, who becomes the love of Jake’s life—a life that transgresses all the normal rules of time.

A tribute to a simpler era and a devastating exercise in escalating suspense, 11/22/63 is Stephen King at his epic best.
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  1. Print length
    849 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Scribner
  4. Publication date
    November 8, 2011
  5. Dimensions
    9.3 x 6.3 x 2.7 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1451627289
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1451627282
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Stephen King is the author of more than sixty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent work includes the short story collection You Like It Darker, Holly, Fairy Tale, Billy Summers, If It Bleeds, The Institute, Elevation, The Outsider, Sleeping Beauties (cowritten with his son Owen King), and the Bill Hodges trilogy: End of Watch, Finders Keepers, and Mr. Mercedes (an Edgar Award winner for Best Novel and a television series streaming on Peacock). His novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by The New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller. His epic works The Dark Tower, It, Pet Sematary, Doctor Sleep, and Firestarter are the basis for major motion pictures, with It now the highest-grossing horror film of all time. He is the recipient of the 2020 Audio Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2018 PEN America Literary Service Award, the 2014 National Medal of Arts, and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

8

On Monday, March 25, Lee came walking up Neely Street carrying a long package wrapped in brown paper. Peering through a tiny crack in the curtains, I could see the words REGISTERED and INSURED stamped on it in big red letters. For the first time I thought he seemed furtive and nervous, actually looking around at his exterior surroundings instead of at the spooky furniture deep in his head. I knew what was in the package: a 6.5mm Carcano rifle—also known as a Mannlicher-Carcano—complete with scope, purchased from Klein’s Sporting Goods in Chicago. Five minutes after he climbed the outside stairs to the second floor, the gun Lee would use to change history was in a closet above my head. Marina took the famous pictures of him holding it just outside my living room window six days later, but I didn’t see it. That was a Sunday, and I was in Jodie. As the tenth grew closer, those weekends with Sadie had become the most important, the dearest, things in my life.

9

I came awake with a jerk, hearing someone mutter “Still not too late” under his breath. I realized it was me and shut up.

Sadie murmured some thick protest and turned over in bed. The familiar squeak of the springs locked me in place and time: the Candlewood Bungalows, April 5, 1963. I fumbled my watch from the nightstand and peered at the luminous numbers. It was quarter past two in the morning, which meant it was actually the sixth of April.

Still not too late.

Not too late for what? To back off, to let well enough alone? Or bad enough, come to that? The idea of backing off was attractive, God knew. If I went ahead and things went wrong, this could be my last night with Sadie. Ever.

Even if you do have to kill him, you don’t have to do it right away.

True enough. Oswald was going to relocate to New Orleans for awhile after the attempt on the general’s life—another shitty apartment, one I’d already visited—but not for two weeks. That would give me plenty of time to stop his clock. But I sensed it would be a mistake to wait very long. I might find reasons to keep on waiting. The best one was beside me in this bed: long, lovely, and smoothly naked. Maybe she was just another trap laid by the obdurate past, but that didn’t matter, because I loved her. And I could envision a scenario—all too clearly—where I’d have to run after killing Oswald. Run where? Back to Maine, of course. Hoping I could stay ahead of the cops just long enough to get to the rabbit-hole and escape into a future where Sadie Dunhill would be . . . well . . . about eighty years old. If she were alive at all. Given her cigarette habit, that would be like rolling six the hard way.

I got up and went to the window. Only a few of the bungalows were occupied on this early-spring weekend. There was a mud- or manure-splattered pickup truck with a trailer full of what looked like farm implements behind it. An Indian motorcycle with a sidecar. A couple of station wagons. And a two-tone Plymouth Fury. The moon was sliding in and out of thin clouds and it wasn’t possible to make out the color of the car’s lower half by that stuttery light, but I was pretty sure I knew what it was, anyway.

I pulled on my pants, undershirt, and shoes. Then I slipped out of the cabin and walked across the courtyard. The chilly air bit at my bed-warm skin, but I barely felt it. Yes, the car was a Fury, and yes, it was white over red, but this one wasn’t from Maine or Arkansas; the plate was Oklahoma, and the decal in the rear window read GO, SOONERS. I peeked in and saw a scatter of textbooks. Some student, maybe headed south to visit his folks on spring break. Or a couple of horny teachers taking advantage of the Candlewood’s liberal guest policy.

Just another not-quite-on-key chime as the past harmonized with itself. I touched the trunk, as I had back in Lisbon Falls, then returned to the bungalow. Sadie had pushed the sheet down to her waist, and when I came in, the draft of cool air woke her up. She sat, holding the sheet over her breasts, then let it drop when she saw it was me.

“Can’t sleep, honey?”

“I had a bad dream and went out for some air.”

“What was it?”

I unbuttoned my jeans, kicked off my loafers. “Can’t remember.”

“Try. My mother always used to say if you tell your dreams, they won’t come true.”

I got into bed with her wearing nothing but my undershirt. “My mother used to say if you kiss your honey, they won’t come true.”

“Did she actually say that?”

“No.”

“Well,” she said thoughtfully, “it sounds possible. Let’s try it.”

We tried it.

One thing led to another.

10

Afterward, she lit a cigarette. I lay watching the smoke drift up and turn blue in the occasional moonlight coming through the half-drawn curtains. I’d never leave the curtains that way at Neely Street, I thought. At Neely Street, in my other life, I’m always alone but still careful to close them all the way. Except when I’m peeking, that is. Lurking.

Just then I didn’t like myself very much.

“George?”

I sighed. “That’s not my name.”

“I know.”

I looked at her. She inhaled deeply, enjoying her cigarette guiltlessly, as people do in the Land of Ago. “I don’t have any inside information, if that’s what you’re thinking. But it stands to reason. The rest of your past is made up, after all. And I’m glad. I don’t like George all that much. It’s kind of . . . what’s that word you use sometimes? . . . kind of dorky.”

“How does Jake suit you?”

“As in Jacob?”

“Yes.”

“I like it.” She turned to me. “In the Bible, Jacob wrestled an angel. And you’re wrestling, too. Aren’t you?”

“I suppose I am, but not with an angel.” Although Lee Oswald didn’t make much of a devil, either. I liked George de Mohren--schildt better for the devil role. In the Bible, Satan’s a tempter who makes the offer and then stands aside. I hoped de Mohrenschildt was like that.

Sadie snubbed her cigarette. Her voice was calm, but her eyes were dark. “Are you going to be hurt?”

“I don’t know.”

“Are you going away? Because if you have to go away, I’m not sure I can stand it. I would have died before I said it when I was there, but Reno was a nightmare. Losing you for good . . .” She shook her head slowly. “No, I’m not sure I could stand that.”

“I want to marry you,” I said.

“My God,” she said softly. “Just when I’m ready to say it’ll never happen, Jake-alias-George says right now.”

“Not right now, but if the next week goes the way I hope it does . . . will you?”

“Of course. But I do have to ask one teensy question.”

“Am I single? Legally single? Is that what you want to know?”

She nodded.

“I am,” I said.

She let out a comic sigh and grinned like a kid. Then she sobered. “Can I help you? Let me help you.”

The thought turned me cold, and she must have seen it. Her lower lip crept into her mouth. She bit down on it with her teeth. “That bad, then,” she said musingly.

“Let’s put it this way: I’m currently close to a big machine full of sharp teeth, and it’s running full speed. I won’t allow you next to me while I’m monkeying with it.”

“When is it?” she asked. “Your . . . I don’t know . . . your date with destiny?”

“Still to be determined.” I had a feeling that I’d said too much already, but since I’d come this far, I decided to go a little farther. “Something’s going to happen this Wednesday night. Something I have to witness. Then I’ll decide.”

“Is there no way I can help you?”

“I don’t think so, honey.”

“If it turns out I can—”

“Thanks,” I said. “I appreciate that. And you really will marry me?”

“Now that I know your name is Jake? Of course.”

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Scribner (November 8, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 849 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1451627289
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1451627282
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.75 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.3 x 6.3 x 2.7 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 3,498 ratings

About the author

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Stephen King

Stephen King

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Stephen King is the author of more than fifty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His first crime thriller featuring Bill Hodges, MR MERCEDES, won the Edgar Award for best novel and was shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger Award. Both MR MERCEDES and END OF WATCH received the Goodreads Choice Award for the Best Mystery and Thriller of 2014 and 2016 respectively.

King co-wrote the bestselling novel Sleeping Beauties with his son Owen King, and many of King's books have been turned into celebrated films and television series including The Shawshank Redemption, Gerald's Game and It.

King was the recipient of America's prestigious 2014 National Medal of Arts and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for distinguished contribution to American Letters. In 2007 he also won the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America. He lives with his wife Tabitha King in Maine.

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
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Great book!
My son and I bought this for each other for Christmas. Great minds think alike. Don't be intimidated by how thick this book is. It is so good that I am almost halfway through it in about 5 days. Highly recommend!
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Top reviews from the United States

A. A. J. Green
5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible! ( **NO SPOILERS **)
Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2012
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This review applies to both the book itself, and the Audible audiobook. What follows is the text from the review I submitted on Audible's web site:

** If you could sum up 11-22-63 in three words, what would they be?
Only THREE words? Yeah right. I would call it: Masterful. Brilliant. Fascinating. Exciting. Beautiful. Sad. Captivating. Romantic. Disturbing (Only in a couple of places.). I base this assessment on Mr. King's genius as a writer, AND Mr. Wasson's incredible audiobook performance.

** What did you like best about this story?
To me, the best part was the perfect marriage of Stephen King's writing genius, and Craig Wasson's (literally) virtuoso performance. The combination made it an extremely enjoyable experience for me. I can say that this is one of the best novels I've read in awhile, and absolutely the BEST of Stephen King's novels I have read. I'm not sure I've ever experienced a better audiobook performance in my lifetime.

MR. KING: I loved the general concept of the story -- traveling back in time in order to change history by preventing President Kennedy's assassination. A fascinating and very different concept for a Stephen King novel, I think. It's so different from anything of his that I've ever read before, and I wasn't sure how well he would pull it off, but (in typical King style) it was done BRILLIANTLY. OMG!

MR. WASSON: I LOVED Mr. Wasson's audiobook performance! He was PERFECT for this novel. I was especially pleased (and surprised) at the quality, nuance, and range of his voice characterizations. (BTW, his Al Templeton voice sounds a lot like Martin Crane on "Frasier" to me. I loved it!). Mr. Wasson does not simply narrate this book like so many others do. He PERFORMS it for us. It is SO good! To each of the characters' voices he adds individual personality and believability. He adds voice inflections and convincing regional accents, along with emotion, laughter, and chuckles to a character's lines the way a person would in everyday conversation. I frequently found myself smiling or laughing outloud with him. He even wept while describing the murder of a child, and again near the end of the book. It was hard not to cry along with him in those moments.

The King/Wasson combination was so effective, that I often forgot that I was reading a novel (along with the audiobook), and found myself totally drawn in and swept along -- like I was watching a movie, or even living the experience along with the characters. King's work is always great, but Mr. Wasson made this book come ALIVE!

** Which scene was your favorite?
There were SO many. And I don't want to spoil any of the book for others by describing parts of it here. But there is some VERY graphic and disturbing content in this book, describing the brutal murder of a child -- so be prepared. It was VERY hard to take.

** If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
Oh goodness. I personally wouldn't make a movie about this book. Books are ALWAYS better than their film counterparts. Always. I'm not sure that anyone could ever do this book real justice -- though I'm certain they will try.

** Any additional comments?
Sure, there are a few places where the story line gets a bit cliche and cute; but they were very minor and very few, and didn't detract much from the reading experience. Perhaps it was just me. Hardly even worth mentioning.

This was one of those books that I BOTH wanted to listen to all in one sitting, AND one that I wanted to last as long as possible. In the end, I disciplined myself to reading only a chapter or so per session, because it was so amazing that I didn't want it to end. When it did, I wept... literally. The book ended SO beautifully, and all the emotions of the entire journey that King & Wasson had taken me on just came spilling out all at once. I was glad to finally know the ending, but I was sad that it had to end. I felt a little like Jake/George -- saying goodbye to old and dear friends. And, like Jake Epping, I feel somehow... changed... by my journey. Thank you Mr. King and Mr. Wasson.

I lost my own "Sadie Dunhill" some years in the past. Now, there are only the memories of the times we shared together.

** My recommendation: Get the audiobook from Audible and the book from Amazon, and listen to it WHILE reading along with the novel. Let yourself go... totally immerse yourself in the story and let it carry you away to the "Land of Ago." You WILL be blown away...
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James Tepper
5.0 out of 5 stars Through the past darkly - a no spoilers review
Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2011
Verified Purchase
"11/22/63", Stephen King's latest, might just be his greatest. Seriously. At least as far as "mainstream" fiction or "literature" goes. Yes, it is built around a well-used SF trope, time travel, but really, the portal to the past that Jake Epping is shown in the back of an aluminum diner is only the launch mechanism for this fantastic journey. There are no monsters here, at least none that aren't human, and little or no horror in the supernatural sense that King's constant readers have come to know, love and expect. Even SK's other "straight" fiction, "Misery", "Dolores Claiborne" and "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon" come to mind, had elements of the supernatural and/or flat-out horror. Not this time.

But that doesn't mean that 11/22/63 is boring. Quite the contrary. Although it might seem that it would be tough to build suspense around a conclusion that seems to be inevitable, this turns out not to be the case. Big time. I just finished playing hooky from work for a day when I read the last 400 pages non-stop (except for a couple of bathroom breaks), because I just couldn't stop. I just kept pressing the advance button on my Kindle.

The adjective that first comes to mind in describing 11/22/63 among SK's oeuvre is, oddly enough, "mature". I have read every novel and anthology that King has published, plus a large number of single short stories, starting with "Carrie" in a borrowed paperback back in the late 1970s. I have never before thought of describing his work in any of them, many good, some great and a few clunkers (some of which I have reviewed as such), as mature. But that is the first, best word that comes to mind in describing 11/22/63. There were others too; exciting, romantic, bittersweet and, as with all SK's stuff, well-written.

Lee Harvey Oswald and the Kennedy assassination were obviously very well-researched, clear from the details in the text even before one gets to the afterword that describes some of the sources and methods used. The lead-up to the day of the assassination is described in great detail, along with Oswald's relationship to his family and associates, all matters of historical record (at least according to the sources cited by SK, with which most of the readers who did not like the novel disagreed emphatically). But I should point out that the facts concerning the Kennedy assassination are actually not the main focus of the novel.

The world of 1958-1963 is described in wonderful detail, through the eyes of Jake as he gradually sheds his early 21st century armored shell and falls in love with a small Texas town and Sadie, its new young librarian. Their love story is the centerpiece of the novel and is told with great depth, sensitivity and believability. I'm old enough to have experienced lots of the stuff that Jake encounters in 1958 (albeit as a child) and it jives with and jogs my recollections and induces a feeling of longing for older, simpler times. For King''s "Constant Readers", there are easter egg cameos from "It" and "The Langoliers" that I recognized. Knowing SK, there may well be others.

The ending is not predictable (if you say you saw it all coming you are either lying or should be a best-selling novelist) and is surprisingly satisfying. To those who say King doesn't know how to end his novels, I say, read this one.

Very Highly Recommended for all (even those who think they know but don't "like" Stephen King).

J.M. Tepper
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John Foster
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing
Reviewed in Canada on March 28, 2024
Verified Purchase
One of the best Stephen King books of all time. Much deeper than the television series and very unforgettable. You'll want to research Lee Harvey Oswald during and after reading it. The way King incorporates him into the main story is bold and just simply amazing. Will definitely read again.

Book arrived in perfect condition.
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Ian
5.0 out of 5 stars ¿Nuestra historia está escrita o puede cambiarse?
Reviewed in Mexico on February 16, 2024
Verified Purchase
11/22/63, por Stephen King es, a mi criterio, lo mejor que ha escrito en los últimos años, además de que logra tocar un tema que muchos creían imposible que él pudiera escribir, estoy hablando del romance.
Esta historia no solo es un análisis del asesinato del ex presidente JFK, es una historia que habla sobre el amor, hasta cierto punto la ética y meras especulaciones (algunas muy interesantes respecto a la manera en la que fueron planteadas) acerca de las posibles consecuencias de evitar un evento que dio paso a sucesos de magnitud global. También se describe de manera magnífica la época de los 50s y 60s, su forma de narrar y describir las localizaciones, objetos y personajes te hace sentir no solo dentro de la novela, si no en esa época, viendo cada suceso.

Por parte de la edición, la editorial Scribner logra darle una estética bastante minimalista esta edición de pasta dura, pues cuenta con una portada roja con lomo negro, la cual tiene marcada con letras doradas el título y el apellido de King; también incluye una sobrecubierta de textura plástica con superficie brillante en el apartado rojo y relieves de color negro en el título. Las hojas son de una calidad media, pues son bastante delgadas, pero aún así las consideraría lo suficientemente resistentes. No hallé ningún error de impresión. Por cierto, la impresión de este libro es de 2011 y me llegó sin plástico protector pero afortunadamente sin daños.

Una obra fantástica, emocionante, atrapante y hasta melancólica, sin duda alguna completamente recomendada.
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Rachel
5.0 out of 5 stars Un excellent S.King
Reviewed in France on January 11, 2012
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J'ai finis hier le dernier King , je l'ai trouvé très bon . Il a souvent eu du mal avec les fins mais celle-ci est plus que satisfaisante , j'ai beaucoup aimé suivre Jake en 1958 , j'avais un peu peur de m'ennuyer sur toutes les informations sur JFK , thème de mon point de vue , très américain mais finalement c'était très intéressant quand Jake/George observe la famille Oswald et par ricochet j'en ai appris plus sur cette période et cet événement
J'ai bein aimé l'histoire d'amour entre Jake et Sadie , encore une fois une femme , dans un livre de King , a à souffrir de la brutalité des hommes . Quelques passages un peu longuet (la pièce de théâtre par exemple) mais cela ne m'a pas gênée outre mesure
Et puis on sent qu'il a prit son pied en décrivant le monde en 2011 quand Jake revient dans le présent . Et les notes à la fin sont intéressantes également
J'ai bien aimé Jake Epping mais j'avoue que j'avais encore plus aimé Dale Barbara dans 'Dôme' ...
Un très très bon King , comme quoi même à 64 ans il en a sous le pied !
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Caliban
5.0 out of 5 stars Eines der besten King-Bücher der neueren Zeit
Reviewed in Germany on November 24, 2011
Verified Purchase
Stephen King spricht mit seinen Werken ein sehr großes Publikum an. Dabei ist es praktisch unmöglich, sämtliche Geschmäcker zu treffen. Die Arena hat bei vielen Lesern auf diesen Seiten Begeisterungsstürme hervorgerufen. Eine Minderheit, zu der ich selbst zähle, ließ dieses Buch wegen seiner klischeehaftigkeit vergleichsweise kalt. Hier könnte es möglicherweise gerade andersherum sein: Das Buch ist trotz zahlreicher spannender Momente überhaupt nicht actionlastig, sondern lebt von gekonnter Menschenzeichnung und der Vermittlung der ganz eigenen Stimmung der 50er Jahre. Dies könnten viele Leser als schlicht langweilig empfinden. Auf dieser Seite setzte allerdings bereits nach wenigen Tagen großes, wenngleich verdächtig pauschales Lob für das Tausendseitenwerk ein. Dieses ist jedoch verdient. Denn das Buch zeigt seit langem ungetrübt die ganze Stärke des Erzählers King. Dies will ich kurz begründen:

1. Das Buch lebt zunächst von der präzisen und zugleich liebevollen Menschenbeobachtung Kings, die von Anfang an eine ganz besondere, nur von ihm gestaltbare Stimmungsdichte hervorbringt. Bereits der Beginn zeigt einen leicht desillusionierten Englischlehrer, dessen Freunde er wohl sehr bewusst nicht im Kollegenkreis, sondern beim Hausmeister und in einem Fastfoodrestaurant sucht: ein idealer Kandidat für eine Flucht aus der Wirklichkeit in die Traumlandschaft der Vergangenheit. Die Protagonisten der weiteren Handlung aber sind Personen, die dem Leser wie in den großen Kingwerken wirklich unvergesslich bleiben. Ich erwähne hier nur die scharfsinnige Mimi oder erinnere an die burlesk-liebevolle aber so aussagekräftige erste Begegnungsszene des Helden mit Sadie auf einer Gartenparty. Mich hat dieser Roman - jetzt wird es gleich Prügel geben - an Jonathan Franzens "Freiheit" erinnert; ich finde, er steht hier gar nicht zurück. Es handelt sich - trotz der spektakulären Grundidee - vor allem um eine vergleichsweise handlungsarme Geschichte die von sehr prägnanten Protagonisten handelt.

2. Die Stimmung der 50er Jahre, die ich selbst nicht erlebt habe, wird dennoch für den Leser so dicht eingefangen, wie in einem der besten King-Bücher "It".

****Achtung Spoilergefahr'****
Ein Teilabschnitt der Handlung - der Probelauf in die Vergangenheit spielt daher nicht ohne Grund im Derry des Jahres 1958(!), wo Bev und Richie einen kurzen Auftritt haben. Was für ein liebevolles Wiedersehen!

*** Spoilergefahr beendet ***

Dabei übertreibt es King nicht und zeigt auch durch kurzen Hinweis auf die Toilette für Farbige an einer Tankstelle (es handelt sich um den nahegelegenen Bach), wie problematisch diese Zeit war. Es ist trotz allem ein idyllisches Amerika ohne paranoide Terroristenangst und voll von liebenswerter Naivität und Vertrauensseligkeit, in das man sich als Leser mit dem Helden verliebt. Man versteht, wie es ihn packt und wie er sich immer schwerer vorstellen kann, in die Gegenwart zurückzukehren.

3. Die mit Zeitreisethematik verbundenen logischen Fragen, unter denen viele Bücher und Filme ersticken (wer kennt außer dem Werk von Wells und der Humoreske "Zurück in die Zukunft I" noch eine wirklich gut funktionierende Zeitreisegeschichte) ist wunderbar stimmungsvoll gelöst. Die Regeln, die King sich ausdenkt, befriedigen das Bedürfnis des Lesers nach Plausibilität, sorgen zugleich für stimmungsvolle Spannung, drängen sich aber nicht in den Vordergrund. Bspw. dachte ich mir gleich nach der Ankündigung des Titels, dass kein Zeitreisender so einfältig sein würde, Oswald gerade am Tag des Attentats abzufangen, sondern dieses Risiko gerade nicht eingehen und ihn früher ausschalten würde. Diese und ähnliche Fragen beschäftigt auch King. Überaus stimmungsvoll baut er Oswald, von dem man ganz am Anfang des Werkes etwas durch einen anderen Zeitreisenden erfährt und dessen Parallelleben in der Sowjetunion sich der Held lange Zeit nur abstrakt vergegenwärtigt, den Charakter einer geheimnisvollen Nemesis. Allein wie King diese Person schließlich einführt, ist eine einsame Spitzenleistung. Die Auseinandersetzung mit diesem komplexen, keineswegs nur verrückten oder bösen Charakter und die Dilemmata des Helden, der hin- und hergerissen ist von Liebe, Verantwortung und Skrupeln, machen das Buch absolut lesenswert.

Ich würde das Buch also nicht demjenigen Leser empfehlen, der einen guten Krimi, einen unheimlichen Roman oder ein Actionfeuerwerk sucht, wohl aber allen, die Dolores Clairborne mochten oder etwa die Kurzgeschichte "The Reach". Für diesen Leserkreis kann ich hier eine absolute Empfehlung aussprechen!
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Arturo Gámez Hervert
5.0 out of 5 stars Una edición para disfrutarse
Reviewed in Mexico on May 27, 2022
Verified Purchase
Sin lugar a dudas esta edición es muy bonita, la encuadernación excelente. Hace que disfrutes sostenerla en tus manos. Y del texto un gran libro del maestro Stephen King. El único inconveniente es que creo que no llego lo suficientemente protegido. Ningún daño pero solo fue enviado en la bolsa de Amazon, creo debería de haber tenido al menos una envoltura de plástico, fuera de eso excelente compra a un precio muy bueno.
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Arturo Gámez Hervert
5.0 out of 5 stars Una edición para disfrutarse
Reviewed in Mexico on May 27, 2022
Sin lugar a dudas esta edición es muy bonita, la encuadernación excelente. Hace que disfrutes sostenerla en tus manos. Y del texto un gran libro del maestro Stephen King. El único inconveniente es que creo que no llego lo suficientemente protegido. Ningún daño pero solo fue enviado en la bolsa de Amazon, creo debería de haber tenido al menos una envoltura de plástico, fuera de eso excelente compra a un precio muy bueno.
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