This novel is Don DeLillo's remarkable reinvention of the events that culminated in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on 22 November 1963 in Dallas.

The epicenter of the American author's magnum opus is none other than the enigmatic figure of Lee Harvey Oswald. He was a young man who seemed unable to find his place anywhere, and nowhere truly felt like home to him. Oswald was a drifter, living a life of transience. After enlisting in the U.S. Marines, he was dishonorably discharged. He then placed all his well-intentioned faith in the deterrent power of the USSR, the great enemy, the Communist state that promised a radically different way of life, one that emphasized the people and the masses rather than the individual.

Oswald defected to Russia after his service. Due to his experience as an ex-Marine and a specialist in radio communications, the KGB believed he could be a valuable asset to the regime, as he held some classified information about a number of military operations and new technology spy aircrafts. However, Lee soon became disillusioned with life in the authoritarian Soviet Union and decided to return to his hometown, even though he didn't really feel a sense of belonging there either.

For many years during Oswald's youth, he was an avid reader of socialist literature and left-wing political theory, which instilled in him a hatred for the American way of life. This was the very reason why he chose to take a chance in faraway Russia. The communist teachings had a profound impact on young Lee, who aspired to become part of the various struggles within the socio-economic interplay, thereby becoming part of history itself.

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A remarkable work of fiction,

Don DeLillo's "Libra" chronicles the life of Lee Harvey Oswald in tandem with the fictional conspiracy by the CIA to have him arrive at the Texas Book Depository on the 22nd November 1963. DeLillo "extends and embellishes reality" in order to raise profound questions about the nature of truth and the legitimacy of fact, especially those surrounding polarizing figures and events like the JFK assassination.

There is also an incredibly interesting subtext to do with free will in "Libra". A series of quite alarming coincidences have the fictional version of Oswald arrive at a place he seemingly knew he was destined for before the intervention of any outside forces. The parallel lines that dictate the direction of our lives intertwine and intercept one another on numerous occasions, yet sometimes it does seem that we had no choice in the matter at all.

DeLillo also includes what I imagine to be a fictional portrayal of himself whilst researching the novel in the JFK chronicler Blanch. This is a refreshing subplot that addresses the reliability of historiography and testimony. It not only cements the novel into the historical-fiction genre but also neatly summarizes the text's postmodern characteristics. Meanwhile, the page-turning narrative concludes itself with the ending we are all so familiar with, leaving readers to ponder the complex web of events and ideas that DeLillo has masterfully woven.

“There is a world inside the world.”

DeLillo is the quintessential American writer of the latter part of the 20th century. While I may personally prefer Pynchon and later Wallace, their esotericism makes it tricky to recommend their work to a more casual reader. Don, on the other hand, is a towering literary mind who is challenging, yet accessible.

Whereas Underworld is an intimidating, sprawling tome, Libra is the book of his that I’d recommend to anyone and everyone.

A meditation on predestination, coincidence, conspiracy, born losers and chance winners (or, more accurately, chance not-losers), Libra is much more than the fictional evocation of Oswald’s life and the myriad possible/probable plots to assassinate JFK. It is a story about the failing of a life, and I think the real postulation happens here.

Who failed Oswald? The world? His mother? Himself? Was he a bit of a dullard? Or perhaps some kind of confused savant? When we look at the title of the book, the true main theme is revealed: balance. Oswald was bound to tip the scales one way or another, and I believe it was simply a matter of freakish fate that brought him to the side of life’s teeter-totter he was planted down upon. His passivity and fervor were equally profound: an (un)stable equilibrium. A true Libran.

Libra delves deep into the psyche of Oswald, exploring the forces that shaped him and led him to his fateful actions. It also examines the larger context of the times, the political climate, and the web of conspiracies that may have been at play.

DeLillo’s writing is masterful, painting a vivid picture of Oswald’s world and the people who inhabited it. He weaves together fact and fiction in a seamless manner, making it difficult to distinguish between the two.

Overall, Libra is a thought-provoking and engaging read that offers a unique perspective on one of the most infamous events in American history. It is a must-read for anyone interested in literature, history, or psychology.

A spy novel intrigue, with a decent tangle of characters and information, perhaps too many for my tastes.

Even though here the style seemed to me very much in the service of historical reconstruction/speculation, DeLillo proves to be the most unpredictable creator of effective sentences in the literary universe.

It requires time and a good mind. With Underworld, one of the most complex works.

The ending is superlative.

[80/100]

Minimum phraseology/

∞ The train tore through the darkness. The passengers at the various stops stared at nothing with an expression honed over the years. The screeching reached a painful paroxysm that he internalized as a personal challenge. In the noise of those turns there was so much iron that he could almost taste it.

∞ He would have joined a communist cell. They would have stayed up all night talking about theories. They would have assigned him tasks. He would have dressed in dark clothes and walked on the roofs in the rain.

∞ The message would have been glaring, a long-range attack, telescopic, with a wide angle, without the useless human commotion caused by the crazy person who comes out of the crowd with the family pistol.

∞ Everything should be something. But it never is. It's the nature of existence.

∞ Somewhere he also had a wife. This was a complication to think about.

∞ - I was wondering, - she said. - What will other people say? - When? - Now. I want to know what they're saying. Maybe there are things we haven't thought of, things we should say too.

∞ - I love that dressing gown, Larry. You look like Orson Welles in long shot.

∞ - How does a person describe their illness on a pre-printed form?

∞ He hid the rifle on the floor among the rows of crates near the sign indicating the stairs. They would find it easily. However, he had to hide it, just to do what they expected of him. He wanted something from them to discover, a first layer to remove.

∞ There is this daily battle between the time I wake up and the time you go to bed.

∞ Everything was fading away, the peripheral sensations shattering in space.