Libra

“What has become unthinkable is the act not of destruction but of assent.”

Part One: The Assassin

The novel opens with Lee Harvey Oswald’s troubled childhood, marked by instability and neglect. His mother, Marguerite, moves frequently, leaving Oswald rootless. As a young man, he develops Marxist sympathies and defects to the Soviet Union, seeking purpose. However, disillusioned, he returns to the U.S. with his Russian wife, Marina.

Part Two: The Conspirators

Parallel to Oswald’s story, a group of disgruntled ex-CIA operatives, led by Win Everett, plot a fake assassination attempt on President Kennedy to expose security flaws. They manipulate Oswald, an unstable ex-Marine, into becoming their unwitting pawn. The plan spirals out of control as rogue agents and Cuban exiles complicate the conspiracy.

Part Three: The Shooting

On November 22, 1963, Oswald, positioned in the Texas School Book Depository, fires at President Kennedy’s motorcade in Dallas. The assassination succeeds, shocking the nation. Oswald flees but is soon arrested. Two days later, nightclub owner Jack Ruby murders Oswald on live television, deepening the mystery.

Part Four: The Aftermath

Government agencies scramble to contain the fallout. FBI and CIA officials obscure evidence, fueling conspiracy theories. Meanwhile, Nicholas Branch, a fictional historian, sifts through endless documents, struggling to make sense of the fragmented truth. The novel ends with Oswald’s ghostly presence lingering over America’s unresolved trauma.

Key ideas

• The instability of truth in historical narratives
• The role of chance and chaos in shaping events
• The psychological toll of political disillusionment
• The blurred line between conspiracy and coincidence
• The mythologizing of American tragedy