11/22/63: A Novel

By Stephen King

THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AND MODERN CLASSIC FROM MASTER STORYTELLER STEPHEN KING

A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR

WINNER OF THE LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE

On November 22, 1963, three shots rang out in Dallas, President Kennedy died, and the world changed. What if you could change it back? In this brilliantly conceived tour de force, Stephen King—who has absorbed the social, political, and popular culture of his generation more imaginatively and thoroughly than any other writer—takes readers on an incredible journey into the past and the possibility of altering it.

It begins with Jake Epping, a thirty-five-year-old English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine, whose life is upended when his friend Al, who owns the local diner, divulges a secret: his storeroom is a portal to the past, a particular day in 1958. And the dying Al enlists Jake to take over the mission that has become his obsession—to prevent the Kennedy assassination.

So begins Jake’s new life as George Amberson, in the world of Ike and JFK and Elvis, of big American cars and sock hops and cigarette smoke everywhere and to the small town of Jodie, Texas, where Jake falls dangerously in love. Every turn leads eventually to a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald and to Dallas, where the past becomes heart-stoppingly suspenseful, and where history might not be history anymore. Time-travel has never been so believable. Or so terrifying.

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Published Nov 8, 2011

877 pages

Average rating: 8.4

542 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

What Bookclubbers are saying about this book

✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI

Readers say *11/22/63* is a captivating blend of historical fiction, sci-fi, drama, and suspense, showcasing Stephen King’s storytelling mastery beyon...

boyleschris
Apr 19, 2026
Ron's recommendation
njlbo1
Jul 18, 2023
10/10 stars
Incredible.
Lee Ann
Jun 18, 2026
8/10 stars
I am not usually a Stephen King fan, but this was an interesting story. Have you ever thought about the things of the past you would change if you could? Jake discovers a way that he can time travel and change things from the past. This story shows that things don't always turn out the way you think they will if you do change the past.
JShrestha
May 27, 2026
8/10 stars
I find Stephen King to be a great storyteller as this book is more of a drama genre than a traditional horror. He does dabble at a point with his alter universe, Derry but I didn't find it relevant to the storyline and it seemed off from the actual Derry storyline. This is a book more on the concept of time travel and the chance to make a change in history that could change the world today. I enjoyed the book as a whole as I found myself lost in the reading and happy there was so much to chase.
RigoCampelo
May 09, 2026
7/10 stars
Buena novela, quizás el final no es tan redondo como otras novelas de King.

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