Book Review: November Road, by Lou Berney

While watching Martin Scorcese’s 15-hour epic The Irishman, I kept wishing that I was watching the (as-yet-unmade) film of Lou Berney’s November Road. The two stories share the setting and macho posturing of 1960s-era mafiosos, but Berney’s story is far more personal and engaging. The story unwinds in the immediate aftermath of the Kennedy assassination in Dallas, 1963. We come to understand that our protagonist was a small cog in the wheels of the mafia machine that killed the president, and he himself is only beginning to understand what he has been a part of. When he realizes that everyone involved is getting whacked, he has to get out of town fast. With a killer on his tail, he stumbles upon a young divorcée and her two little girls. First he ingratiates himself, then he starts falling in love. The little family is a perfect cover for him--but he’s putting everyone at risk just by sticking around. If they can get to JFK, they can certainly get to him.

An old friend, Dave Medicus, puts out a fantastic podcast about books, The Inside Flap. Here's the episode where he interviews Lou Berney and finds out what the biggest rush of the author's life has been. (It has something to do with Stephen King.)