Kumari's Reviews > 11/22/63

What an incredible (literally) concept! I loved ALL of the twists and turns (King's mind is nothing if not twisted) the main character goes through. All the way down to the details of the "Yellow Card Man," "Green Card Man," etc. This hero was put through his paces, for sure. My eyes eventually became blurry from eye strain following him through them, as I could not put the book down.

What makes a great story is a truly dramatic character arc and circumstances in which a heart-wrenching decision must be made. Go back to change history? What changes are made in your own present, then? The possibilities in that wormhole of a thought are endless. Is another's life more important your own, no matter whose it is? What about your own child's? (Not in the plot, just something to ponder). King chooses a few possibilities to answer those questions that make us all question for ourselves, "What would I do?"

Frankly, I'd be too terrified to go back in fear that I would change far too much and it'd have disastrous consequences. And, it's because of that short story... what is it? Maybe it's Kurt Vonnegut... the one where the young man goes back in time, on a guided tour, and is told NOT TO STEP OFF THE PATH because it could cause irreparable ripples in time that affect present time. He does step off the path and kills on a seemingly inconsequential animal (a toad?). Returning to the future/the present, hardly anything is even similar to what he remembers the world being like. Yeah, that'd be me. Like I said, not going to happen! But, how wonderful to experience it vicariously through a character who will take that chance!

I also learned a lot about history that I probably would not have ever known! Ever. Never.

I've read that King has been obsessed with the JFK assassination conspiracy theories for decades, so this behemoth of a novel is a testament to that fact. But, it was so enthralling that, if it wasn't quite so long, I'd read it again.