A review by ethanyeshaya
11/22/63 by Stephen King

5.0

“I came up. She came up with me. She went out, then came back into my arms. We danced under the lights. Dancing is life.”

I read A Little Life this summer; a book widely known for its emotional punch. Sure, it had punch. But 11/22/63 completely knocked me out.

It’s a straightforward time-travel novel with a simple premise: a man learns that he, through a portal in time, can attempt to prevent the assassination of JFK. The “rabbit-hole” as he calls it, always resets to the date September 9, 1958. That gives him 5 years to hang around waiting for his big moment.

But what happens in those five years? This is where King fucks with us. These are five real years in a man’s life. Five years to live and teach and laugh and dance and meet the best friends he’ll ever have and fall in love.

What starts as a simple premise about a single task becomes a seriously emotionally complicated story. It’s sweet and funny and sad and completely heartbreaking.

I will be bold and say it’s the best writing Stephen King has ever done.