Summer Book Summary and review 11/22/63 Review By Madison Levinson

    11/22/63 is a novel by the author Stephen King, published November 8, 2011. It follows the story of Jake Epping, a high school English teacher and his journey in time, back to 1958. Jake single-handedly is responsible for the prevention of the murder of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. During his grand expedition to the past, Jake is responsible for the prevention of a small-town murder and the assassination of the President of the United States. Jake also falls in love with Sadie Dunhill, a teacher from the past. The book totals to 849 pages.

Cover of the novel 11/22/63 by Stephen King 

The first approximate 200 pages of the book consist of Jake learning about the ability to time travel and debating whether he should spend his life in the past to prevent the assassination of the president. The last approximate 200 pages consist of:  Sadie dying; Jake travelling back to a dystopian present; Jake returning to the past to reverse everything; Jake then travelling back to a "normal" future, and finally Jake dancing with Sadie now an old woman with nothing but a vague memory of the teacher's name. The beginning was too long and the end was too hokey.

In all, the first and last 200 pages are long and far-fetched while the middle 449 pages could sufficiently be the entire book. The middle contains a thrilling love story and suspense filled drama about love, loss and sacrifice. A reasonable length story a reader will want to sit down and enjoy without boredom or disbelief.

A picture from the show 11/22/63 showing Jake Epping,
played by James Franco, and Sadie Dunhill, played by Sarah Gadon

The book is well written, as expected from the famous author. The plot of the story twists and turns, revealing new truths and hiding other elements. 11/22/63 is in no way a quick or easy read, it involves time and energy to read, a real investment for any reader. Not only will the reader become invested in the story line but the characters. Tears will be shed and yelling in frustration is not uncommon. Stephen King is infamous for his grasp on the concept of horror in his other works such as It, The Shining, and Misery.  In 11/22/63, King       delivers a different concept with less horror and more history meets science fiction. This is very unlike Kings usual writing persona.

Overall 11/22/63 is a brilliant idea by a brilliant author executed near perfectly. The story of Jake Epping, his love, and his task would have been better delivered in a more condensed novel or over a series of books as to not bore the reader with so much empty scenes and hard to grasp details. Stephen King delivers a historical science fiction novel story line with success but fails to make every aspect of the book relevant and interesting. 11/22/63 is a brilliant idea that was not brilliantly executed.