“If I’d known what the future held for me, I certainly would have gone up to see her. I might even have given her the kiss that had been flirting in the air between us for the last couple months. But of course I didn’t know. Life turns on a dime.”

What if you could go back in time and change a major event in history? What event would you choose? Save someone’s life? Or stop a presidential assassination? One day Jake Epping is grading high school papers and the next he is traveling through a portal back to 1958.

I have never read any Stephen King novels since I’m not a fan of horror. I did enjoy watching Shawshank Redemption and knew he had to be a good writer to have such a huge fan base. I’ve had this book on my to-read list after seeing a friend read it a few years ago. A non-horror Stephen King book made me curious. I am very glad I finally read it.

Jake Epping is chosen by the original founder of the portal to go back in time and try to stop John F. Kennedy’s assassination. Each time he goes through the portal, it is the same day (September 9, 1958) and nothing that happened in any previous trip has happened – it resets time to “normal.” When he comes back to the present, only 2 minutes have passed. His first trip is just a few hours and then he goes back to see if he can save a person’s life. Then he has to decide if he wants to stay in the past for five years to stop the assassination and hopefully make the world a better place in the present. Would you?

The ending surprised me. The book is very long, but it doesn’t feel long since the storyline covers five years. The book is very well written and will make you think. It is for adults as there are adult relationships and language. King also shows a few glimpses into the racism that was more prevalent in the 1950s and 60s. I would recommend this book to anyone who is wanting to read a really interesting, well-written story and is willing to make the time commitment.

Buy the book here (affiliate link).