A review by asourceoffiction
11.22.63 by Stephen King

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

One of my favourite things about Stephen King is that if you've loved one of his books, chances are you can open another and find not just a similar tone or atmosphere (though he does often evoke a particularly delicious tension), but a direct link as well. I haven't read IT but I took so much joy from knowing that Jake was in Derry, Maine in late summer of 1958, and even met some of the Losers' Club. Of course I immediately Googled them all and will have to read IT, despite my abject terror.

King's writing is so visceral and evocative, I could practically taste the '50s root beer and soda that was so fatty and flavourful. But it also means that no one can build horrible tension quite like him. The "obdurate past" is a character in itself and it's devastating (and often funny) to see how it trips Jake up as he tries to change the future. Much like in Pet Sematary it felt like there was a force governing these characters' lives and I was never able to quite relax.

But while I love this tension, and the sense of dread that permeates even the most peaceful moments, I also just got so invested in the life Jake creates as George Amberson. So when the pace slowed in the middle of the book, my attention never wavered. The end was like a series of punches to the gut and left me with this overwhelming sense of futility, but there was a sliver of goodness that I was able to cling to because of my love for the characters. It's another of his books I'll be pondering for ages.
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