11/22/63

Published: 2011

11/22/63 (2011) follows Jake Epping, a high school English teacher who discovers a time portal in a local diner that leads to September 9, 1958. His friend Al, dying of cancer, convinces Jake to take over his mission: prevent the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. As Jake navigates the past under the alias George Amberson, he discovers that 'the past is obdurate'—it resists change, creating obstacles to his mission through coincidences and setbacks. Jake settles in the small Texas town of Jodie while monitoring Lee Harvey Oswald, falling in love with librarian Sadie Dunhill and building a life that complicates his mission. After numerous challenges, Jake succeeds in saving Kennedy, only to return to a dystopian 2011 ravaged by earthquakes and nuclear war—the unintended consequences of altering such a pivotal historical event. Reluctantly, he returns to the past to reset the timeline, losing Sadie but restoring history. King first conceived the novel in the 1970s but felt inadequate to the historical research required, returning to it decades later with greater confidence and resources. Critics widely praised the book as one of King's finest achievements, citing its historical detail, emotional resonance, and philosophical depth. The novel won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and was a finalist for several major awards. The 2016 Hulu miniseries adaptation starring James Franco received critical acclaim. King has described the book as his most challenging research project and expressed particular satisfaction with its exploration of time travel paradoxes and mid-century American life. For readers, 11/22/63 represents King at his most ambitious—blending historical fiction, romance, thriller, and science fiction elements while exploring profound questions about destiny, choice, and the unforeseen consequences of altering history.

Themes

• Time travel
• Love vs. duty
• Historical pivots
• Consequences of changing the past
• Nostalgia vs. reality

Adaptations

• 2016 Hulu miniseries starring James Franco

Collector Notes

One of King's most critically acclaimed novels. King first conceived the idea in the 1970s but felt inadequate to the historical research required at that time.