11/22/63
King, Stephen. 11/22/63. 2011. (Fiction King.S)
Although it's more science fiction than horror, 11/22/63 is pure Stephen King, reminiscent of his best 70s novels. Jake Epping is a high school English teacher, recruited by his dying friend, Al, to travel into the past to prevent the assassination of President Kennedy. The diner that Al owns hides a portal to 1958, which is the year the family of one of Jake's adult education students was murdered. Jake decides to go back in time to save the student's family, then returns to the present to assess the repercussions of changing that event. Eventually he's persuaded that saving JFK will result in more good than bad, and he heads back to 1958. First, though, he has to save his student's family again because each trip back is a complete "reset." Jake then settles down to wait for November 1963. The historical details are fascinating, and Stephen King obviously did his research about Lee Harvey Oswald, but despite a love interest (a librarian!) and some endearing supporting characters, the novel drags a bit in the middle. Several twists and the introduction of another villain get it back on track. (Genevieve G.)
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