My impressions of Kings' novel 11/22/63 - part 1

[Canuck]

I'm reading Stephen King's 842-page novel entitled "11/22/63", written in
the first-person by the narrator and main character Jake Epping. Jake
crosses path with an old man named Al, who has discovered he is able to go
back in time, through the storage room in his diner. The destination is
always the same: Jodie, Texas, on Sept. 9, 1958 at 11:58 a.m.

I've only read 75 pages so far, but already the old man has mentioned
having come in contact with Lee Harvey Oswald and his family. His
description of Oswald is extremely negative, entirely consistent with the
Warren Commission's conclusions, and the old man is 95% certain that
Oswald alone killed JFK.

On page 63 the old man makes reference to Oswald's body having been
exhumed in 1981, which he claims was "DNA tested. It was him all right.
The poisonous little fuck." I have thought for a long time that DNA
testing should be done on Oswald's body, but I'm quite sure it wasn't
possible in 1981, or it undoubtedly would have been carried out (see my
article "Did Oswald Come Back?" at http://www.jfk-info.com/whitmey8.htm).

As for the old man's contact with Oswald and family, he makes reference to
"Bobby Oswald". Lee's older brother usually went by Robert Oswald; I
don't recall him ever being referred to as "Bobby".

Finally, it is difficult to know when the old man comes in contact with
Oswald and family in Ft. Worth, but on page 68, the old man says: "Yes, I
needed to make sure he's capable of doing it. Ozzie's a bad man, Jake -
what people back in '58 call a louse.." Well, if King is describing
events in 1958, that would certainly be a big mistake, as Oswald was in
the Marines and didn't meet Marina until 1961. But maybe the old man had
fast-forwarded to '62. However, near the end of chapter 3 he does refer
to Oswald being in the Marines in Sept. 1958.

- prwhitmey