11/22/63

Author:   Stephen King

One-sentence summary: A teacher finds out a huge secret from a dying man that changes his life completely and possibly key past events as well.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating:  8

Our favorite thing about it:  The amazing story and writing.

Our least favorite thing about it:  Some parts were a little slow.

Main Topics of Discussion: Time Travel, Love, Ethics, History

Our favorite quote: “Here’s another thing I do know. The past is obdurate for the same reason a turtle’s shell is obdurate: because the living flesh inside is tender and defenseless.” (p.827)

Notes:  We all really enjoyed this book. It is a realistic book about time travel, which is no small task. King wrote a really solid story, and apparently thought of every detail about time traveling. The story is long (853 pages), but for most of us, it held our attention the whole time. Although, if there were one thing some of us didn’t like, it would be that a few parts were a little slow and could have been trimmed back without losing the brilliance of the story.

We loved delving into the late 1950s and early 1960s with the main character and seeing a first-hand account of what life was like during that time. Learning more about Oswald and other figures surrounding the Kennedy assassination was also fascinating, although this part of the book is hardly the main part of the book. We all felt that the main story was about time travel and how it affects history, the future, and those who participate in it.

We especially loved how King described time as strings; each time travel episode, a new string of the same time period. Even though time may be re-set, each time jump left “residue” on the strings of time. And we also loved how he described the past as “obdurate” and harmonious as well as fragile. The mystery and subsequent reveal of the yellow card man’s persona and purpose was actually satisfying instead of disappointing as it could have been in the hands of a lesser writer. The whole concept of time travel was really well thought out and really fun to read about.

King also liked to assign personalities to the physical settings in the book. By doing so, he really made the cities and towns he described additional characters that could change the story with their behavior somehow. This was true of Derry and Dallas especially.

As if the discussion of time travel and its ramifications were not enough, King brings in a love story, as well as huge ethical issues, which are major discussion points in their own rights. Murder to prevent murder was a main theme and question in the book. 

As previously mentioned, the writing was amazing. There are so many gems and wonderful quotes from this book. The language that King uses is not superfluous or out of the ordinary, yet it vividly and poignantly describes the images he wants to convey. It was a treat to read this story and digest the words he choose to tell it. 

Although the ending is not conventionally “happy,” we all thought it was the perfect ending for this book. Overall it was a great read and really enjoyable.

Memorable Meeting Moments:  This was our first meeting with Amberly back and the very first meeting ever with Christina! We also discussed (and had a good laugh about) a “Willie Nelson kind of spirituality.”

What We Ate:  We ate at “Al’s Fatburger” and had hamburgers with a pickle and fries, with root beer in frosted mugs. There were chocolate shakes for dessert too. A perfect diner experience!