11-22-63

I listen to a lot of Audible books during my daily commute and afternoon constitutionals. I generally enjoy the audio book experience but the quality is highly variable. Recently, someone on Twitter (maybe @bradleychambers) recommended Stephen King’s 11-22-63 as a good time travel story. I was skeptical because I don’t typically like the way King writes or structures his narratives. However, I enjoyed 11-22-63 immensely, in spite of King’s style.

Time Travel

I have an unfortunate tendency to like science fiction genres that are difficult to do right. Time travel is a compelling device but when the complexities are either disregarded or over explained it falls apart. As a result, I rarely like books with a heavy reliance on time travel.

11-22-63 is well thought out to avoid unexplainable pitfalls. On the contrary, King relies on paradox to build tension. There’s no detailed explanation needed in King’s universe. We don’t need to reinvent quantum mechanics or over analyze the consequences of killing our grandfather. We just enjoy the moments and character development because at its core, 11-22-63 is a story about relationships.

Character

11-22-63 relies on time travel as a premise for character development. The book is a 98% character piece with 1% time travel and 1% philosophical twisting. There are no shortage of characters in the King’s world. It is a living world with well considered individuals. Each incidental character portrays a deep mix of motivations as well as personalities that fit both the time and place.

It’s precisely the complexity and variety of characters that make the audio book the perfect vehicle for this novel. Craig Wasson narrates 11-22-63 in a most spectacular way. He adeptly delivers a huge variety of accents from all across the modern US and of the 1950’s US. He perfectly delivers the lines for an elder man of 1952 Maine as well as a Texas woman of 2013. It’s impressive and immersive.

Predictable but Lovable

While I enjoyed the entire novel, I found the story to be rather predictable. Both small and large story arcs concluded without surprise. There were rarely moments that made me reconsider my expectations or philosophies. I made up my mind about the characters within the first few chapters and was never challenged to rethink any of it. There are few surprises in 11-22-63 but that does not mean it is without joy or disappointment. Sometimes expectation of impending disaster is just as titillating as the surprise.

Conclusion

The combination of Stephen King’s words and Craig Wasson’s voice make 11-22-63 a terrific and compelling story. This is one that changed my opinion of King’s story telling, and that was no small task.