11/22/63, by Stephen King

Stephen King's novel about time travel, 11/22/63, has brought me back as a fan.  After reading Under the Dome, I wasn't sure I'd ever read a new King novel.  That one rambled in the middle and had a terrible ending.  This one, on the other hand, was much more focused and the ending was easier to pull off.

The book is told first-person from the perspective of a school teacher who goes back in time in an attempt to stop the Kennedy assassination.  Fortunately, for dramatic purposes, the past doesn't want to be changed--the past is obdurate becomes a recurring theme--so the main character has many struggles along the way.  He also gets involved in the past and falls in love, further complicating the story.

King's writing ability is in top form in this novel and he does a wonderful job of describing the late 50's and early 60's, both the good and the bad.  And we really get to know the main character and what drives his actions.  I think this is the big difference between 11/22/63 and Under the Dome; we care about the main characters in the former, but not in the latter.