“The Butterfly Effect is the idea that small things can have non-linear impacts on a complex system” aka a small action can end up having a bigger spread out reaction over time.
Yes, you read that right, that title does say Stephen King. If you ask any of my close friends and family, I would be the absolute last person to ever read a Stephen King novel. I am the biggest scaredy cat ever and can barely handle the Harry Potter movies. However, I recently found out that King has a few books not in the horror genre and decided I need to read at least one of his books in my lifetime and thought 11/22/63 would be the best book option for me.
“Home is watching the moon rise over the open, sleeping land and having someone you can call to the window, so you can look together. Home is where you dance with others, and dancing is life”.
11/22/63
Everyone knows 11/22/63 as the day that President John F. Kennedy was shot and killed while in a motorcade in Dallas, Texas. But what if one man is able to go back and stop that all from happening. What would happen because of it? Jake Epping is a teacher in Maine who makes a little extra money by hosting a night class for adults working to get their GED. He receives a letter from one of his students telling the story of the night his father killed his entire family and he was the sole survivor. Soon after, Jake’s friend Al from the local diner tells him about a portal he found in his back pantry which sends you back to the year 1958. He assigns Jake the mission of stopping the Kennedy assassination. So begins the life of Jake’s alter ego, George Amberson, and his life in the 1950’s and 1960’s. A lot different than the life he is use to back in 2011. Will he be able to complete this daunting task and risk everything?
“We never know which lives we influence, or when, or why. Not until the future eats the present, anyway. We know when it’s too late”.
11/22/63
My initial thought while reading this book is that it is very clear to me why King has done so well and has such a huge following, he is an incredibly gifted author who is able to entertain his audience from start to finish. Secondly, this book wasn’t even a horror book but it is also clear why he is a predominant horror author as he adds so many details that just don’t leave your head during some disturbing scenes. I would also say that this book, though it does sound super science fictiony, is not so don’t let the description deter you. After reading this book would I read another King novel? 100%. Will it be right away? Absolutely not as I am not ready for another 800+ book. My only complaint about this book is that I truly don’t believe it needed to be this long. There were parts where I was like we get it, now we don’t need 50 pages of this scene anymore. Could’ve been like 300 pages less. But, if you are also considering getting into Stephen King, 11/22/63 is a great book to start.
Until Next Time, The Library Abroad
The Library Abroad 
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