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I can’t believe I read the whole thing! King’s latest story is perhaps his biggest yet, and the 800 plus pages kept me up past my bedtime more than once. For a reader prepared to suspend disbelief he tells a powerful story of time travel, interjecting thoughtful analysis of the butterfly effect of human actions.

This is entertainment at its best. King’s good-hearted hero, Jake Epping, steps through the rabbit hole from 2011 Maine to 1958 Texas, following a brief stop locally to straighten out the past of a beloved school janitor. His mission is to prevent the assassination of President Kennedy, which he knows will happen in 1963. The five years are filled with his job as a small town high school teacher, falling in love with the new school librarian, and doing good deeds all over town; all the while tracking Lee Harvey Oswald and trying to determine if he was a part of a group or would be acting alone.

King did his research. The music, sports, dances, food, and vocabulary all ring of authenticity. (Likely he knows a very helpful librarian!). He obviously has read everything he can find on President Kennedy’s assassination. The plot keeps the reader guessing while steadily working towards the big moment. As part of the generation who vividly remembers that horrific week in 1963, and how the years beyond it were influenced by the tragedy, I was rooting for Jake to change history. And then I didn’t.

This is a big book to tote from place to place. I recommend waiting for the paperback, hopefully published in time for your summer vacation, or reading in digital version. It is a good escape from reality at many levels, but should stimulate a lot of “what if” conversations with family and friends.

I only wish I could dance like that…!

Available in [Print], [Audio], and [Large Print].