This is it. The actual review of one of the biggest releases of 2011. It's not, as last week indicated, a continuation of the aggravations that swirl around this release. Just a cut and dry review. And, hint, hint, it's pretty groovy.
11/22/63 focuses in on Jake Epping and is, as most everyone knows, a time travelling epic. But as King fans have learned over the decades, nothing is ever quite that simple in a King book. This thing exists on an epic scale, no doubt. Rather than relying on wormholes, or DeLoreans, or Wellsian Byzantine contraptions, King shrouds it in mystery and places the "portal" in the pantry of a silver diner.
On the surface it sounds quite bland. An unexplained portal in the pantry of a silver diner? Well, let's take a look at other King books: a dimensional portal in the trunk of a Buick, gateway to the Territories within a Boardwalk Amusement park...you get the idea. As always, King makes this work because we don't care so much about the portal. We don't even care about the time travel so much. We care about the characters. Jake Epping posing as George Amberson in the past.
The plot begins its wonder when Al Templeton, owner of said diner, reaches out to Epping, a High School English teacher, and asks him a favor. Within that span of pages, we learn all we need to know. Templeton explains how he's been able to offer his "Fatburger" for a buck and change, showcases the portal, and talks to him about changing history.
Templeton worked to change history, firstly, by trying to aide a girl who was shot in a hunting accident. When he succeeded, the plot got widely more insane - preventing the assassination of JFK.
Skeptical of all of this - and who wouldn't be - Jake is introduced to the portal in the pantry and discovers that it is real. Also, he learns that whether you're in the past for a minute or four years, real world time is always two minutes. With Al Templeton's health failing, and Jake's curiosity picqued, our protag hesitantly agrees, but has business to do first.
Y'see, on the side, Epping teaches GED adults. While mostly for extra cash and almost certainly underwhelming, one essay (authored by a disabled janitor) touches him in ways he can't imagine. The janitor basically tells of the Halloween night when his entire family was murdered by his father. Epping opts to test the time travel out by fixing this wrong (much in the way Sam Beckett of Quantum Leap would do).
Going back in time, we happen upon Derry. Derry, as fans of the Kingverse know, holds some special history. It's one of the things that offers a very nice Easter egg for the reader. Especially for those familiar with the town, circa 1958.
What's good about the read is that, in spite of its length, the book moves rapidly. The characters are engaging enough to keep the reader turning the page. I never thought that King's storytelling ability would improve, but it does here. Greatly. You can feel the fifties and sixties. The strong contrasts between the simplicity of the past and the Internet and search engines of the future are made with very modest flourishes. Augmenting it even more are the nods to past King books (something that's become quite a staple).
What's not so good, in regards to the storytelling, is that King tends to write like a geriatric telling a story. While it is completely engaging, King meanders through the prose. Oftentimes the reader is still turning the page, but isn't quite sure where the story is headed. I have seen this in King before, but after the last opus - Under the Dome - I was confident that the length was not always indicative of this trait.
The other problem this book suffers from, in regards to length, is the one catalyst for the story. The time portal. The portal transports you into the past, however it only ever takes you to the same point in time - a September afternoon in 1958. With a title indicating a significant historical event, you can already see the reason the book checks in at around 900 pages. Besides going back in time, you have to then flash forward and wade through 5 years worth of prose as Jake Epping trudges from September '58 to November '63, and from Maine to Texas. Hell, within the first 250ish pages, we're still dealing with the janitor's tale (and it is engaging, but...c'mon...get to the Oswald and Kennedy stuff).
Overall, not a disappointing read. Easily a 4 out of 5 read. Because of the problems surrounding the release of this book, though, we're strongly pushing this in the libraries. So, go. Run to your local library and check a copy out now. A truly wonderful Fall read.
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