11/22/63
- 30 hrs 40 min
- Audible Audiobook of the Year, 2011
- 4.7 ★ on Audible (75k ratings)
Peter’s Verdict
A teacher travels back to 1958 to stop the Kennedy assassination, and the five years he has to wait are the best part of the book. It runs 30 hours, but Craig Wasson gives every character a voice of their own, and it never drags.
Jake Epping is a thirty-five-year-old English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine, when his friend Al, who owns the local diner, lets him in on a secret: the storeroom is a portal to 1958. Al wants Jake to use it to stop Lee Harvey Oswald from shooting President Kennedy on November 22, 1963.
That sets up a long wait, because the portal only opens onto 1958 and Jake has to live through the years in between. This is where the book really shines. King fills the late 1950s and early 60s with small towns, diners, music and cars, and gives Jake a life he starts to care about. The assassination plot is the engine of the story, but the heart of it is everything that happens along the way, including a love story I won’t spoil.
Craig Wasson has a big cast to cover, from an elderly diner cook in Maine to people in Texas, and he gives each of them their own accent and personality. His Texas drawls and his Kennedy impression are a treat. Audible named the audiobook its Best Audiobook of the Year in 2011, and its editors credited Wasson’s narration as one of the reasons.
He performs the book rather than simply reading it, and he handles the emotional scenes, including the ending, beautifully.
It reads more like historical fiction than horror, with just enough King menace to keep you hooked.
At 30 hours and 40 minutes this is a big commitment. If you’ve never tried Stephen King, or you think he only writes horror, it’s one of the best places to start.
Want more? See our best Stephen King audiobooks, ranked.
Listen if…
- You like time travel stories or historical fiction
- You want a long, immersive listen to settle into
- You’ve never tried Stephen King, or you think he’s only horror
Skip it if…
- You want a fast, scary King story: this one takes its time and is more drama than horror
- You’re short on listening time: it runs over 30 hours
Where to listen to 11/22/63
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