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Off The Shelf
 By Sarah Jane Abbott
| Thursday, April 10, 2014
When I urge friends of mine to read Stephen King (as I often
do), I am frequently met with the same response: “Oh, I can’t read those
books, they’re too scary!” My answer is always, try 11/22/63.
This novel is profoundly different from his previous body of work; in 11/22/63,
the master of horror has tackled historical fiction. In an interview
with the Wall Street Journal, King said of the novel, “This might be a book
where we really have a chance to get an audience who's not my ordinary
audience. Instead of people who read horror stories, people who read 'The
Help' or 'People of the Book' might like this book, if they can
get the message.”
The novel centers on Jake Epping, a high school English teacher
living in the year 2011. After a trip to the local diner with his
newly-graduated GED student Harry Dunning, Jake is approached by the diner’s
proprietor, Al Tempelton, who has a fantastical story and a monumental
request. In the pantry of his diner, Al has discovered a portal through
which one can travel to the year 1958. Al’s mission was to go back into
the past and prevent the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy, which he
believes would dramatically alter the future for the better. However,
he has developed terminal lung cancer and cannot complete his mission; his
dying wish is for Jake to finish what he started. Jake agrees to take
up Al’s cause but he also has his own cause to pursue: saving Harry Dunning’s
family from the horrible tragedy he knows will befall them in October of
1958. With his knowledge of history and Al’s extensive research on Lee
Harvey Oswald, both tasks seem attainable, but the past is obdurate - it does
not want to be changed. When things go awry, Jake figures he can
go back through the portal, “reset” the past, and try again. But as the
best of intentions produce catastrophic results, it becomes clear that every
move Jake makes has unforeseen consequences - and the portal may not provide
endless do-overs.
I can’t be sure what “message” King is referring to in his quote
to the Wall Street Journal, but for me the novel holds many poignant and
universal questions. Of course, the novel addresses the ever-popular
theme of the historical “what if”. It is truly thrilling to go along
with Jake on his mission, following Lee Harvey Oswald in the months leading
up to the assassination and knowing that every conversation and moment is a
precursor to an event that will change the course of history. But is it
possible to “fix” the past without destroying the future? The so-called
butterfly effect comes to chilling life throughout the novel, raising doubts
about whether Jake’s mission is advisable, or if it will actually bring about
any good at all. The novel also delves into questions of the individual
versus society - is saving the life of a loved one worth more than securing
the future of millions of strangers? How much can the life of one man
truly impact the shape of history?
Lovers of character-based, realistic fiction will not be
disappointed - King’s characters are well drawn and have a depth that makes
the reader truly invested in their actions and relationships. Even
King’s villain, Oswald, is multi-dimensional: he is an odious, violent man,
but in the months that Jake has him under surveillance, Oswald has moments of
tenderness, especially towards his young daughter. The novel is
impeccably researched, down to the... READ
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