This is definitely one of King's best novels. Not too haunting, sufficiently violent, and really nails the "subverted expectations with interpersonal relationships." Halfway through the novel and Jake ain't even really worried about Oswald all that much, and believe it or not – we as the reader are probably totally fine with that. I really enjoyed the idea of the past itself being the primary antagonist of this novel: the obdurate past does not want to be changed. It's fun and ominous.

Some of the scenes and dialogue are definitely cringe and reddit-core in the same way that the HBO show Newsroom sucks. For example "I don't care if it's the president of the United States that's calling–" (cue JFK calling). As well mixing in contemporary politics and its comparatively radical ideas as i.e. "you won't believe it, but we've got a black president" is kind of masturbatory. Especially since it's awfully convenient that none of the characters we're supposed to sympathize with have accurate-to-1960 beliefs. Granted, racism and civil rights play a big role in the plot, but you know who the good guys r bc they're the one's that aren't racist :thumbs_up:. None of them have problematic esoteric beliefs. Really sounds like I was rooting for Sadie to drop an N-bomb, which I wasn't but you get the point.

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