Genre:
The Second Life of Jack and Jackie: A Novel
By Melissa Kaplan
On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy narrowly escapes an assassination attempt while riding through the streets of Dallas with his wife, Jacqueline, by his side. The next day, realizing how fortunate he is to be alive, Jack and Jackie—who have become more deeply connected after several months of personal tragedy—reconnect and embark on the next thirty years of their marriage together.
But no love story lasts forever. When Jackie is diagnosed with terminal cancer in 1994, she and Jack must figure out how to say goodbye to their life and to each other—and Jack must find a way to live without the one person he always believed he simply could not lose.
The Second Life of Jack and Jackie is a story of love and second chances that examines what it means to spend your life with someone, knowing how fragile and tenuous life is. When one person in a relationship is almost certain to leave first—no matter how it happens--can there really be such a thing as a happy ending? Or, despite loss and grief being an inevitable part of life, maybe love will still find a way to triumph in the end?
Book Details
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Crime and deception
Interconnected lives
Secrets and lies
Chaos and consequence
Moral ambiguity -
"The Second Life of Jack and Jackie is more than simply a book or a vision - it's a direct connection to the very essence of what makes us human. This love story between two icons masterfully bypasses all the standard cliches and tropes, traveling directly into your heart with honesty, raw emotion, and a feeling that you're right there, living this alternate life with them through the decades. Addressing one of the great "what ifs" of American history, this tale does so with grace, elegance and beauty. 10/10." -Geoff Woliner, author, The Path to Perfectia series
"I loved Melissa Kaplan's debut novel, The Girl Who Tried to Change History, so I was excited to read The Second Life of Jack and Jackie. In this novel, Melissa speculates about what would have happened had Jack Kennedy not been assassinated but instead lived well into old age, and been married to Jackie for forty years. The storyline and dialogue are so realistic that I had to remind myself that this was fiction. And the last few chapters, in which Melissa describes Jackie's terminal cancer and death, are powerful and touching. They literally gave me goosebumps!" -Diane Papalia Zappa, Author of The Married Widow: My journey with Bob Zappa and Dear Bobby: My grief journey
"I loved escaping into an alternative version of this famous couple's history. It is wonderful to imagine what Jack and Jackie's life could have been had he survived the 1963 assassination. Thank you, Melissa Kaplan, for penning a beautiful story of hope and resilience captured through the voices of the beloved Kennedys." -Maria Leonard Olsen, podcaster and author of 50 After 50: Reframing the Next Chapter of Your Life