FICTION

The most powerful mythologies are those that center on death. The Greeks knew that, as they told and retold the stories of Agamemnon, of Oedipus, of Achilles. The Scots have Macbeth; the British, the little princes; the French, Joan of Arc.

And the United States has John Fitzgerald Kennedy, and a date -- Nov. 22, 1963 -- which, as Franklin D. Roosevelt said of Dec. 7, 1941, will live in infamy.

Much has been written of Kennedy's assassination and its aftermath, perhaps most notably William Manchester's "The Death of a President." The events of the four days from murder to burial are part of the nation's collective memory -- the starting point of all myths.

As we approach the 45th anniversary of the assassination, Adam Braver takes another step in that direction in "November 22, 1963," a combination of fact and fiction that tells a -- not necessarily the -- story of that dreadful day. He works mainly from Jacqueline Kennedy's perspective but also from those of others, such as amateur photographer Abraham Zapruder, motorcycle cop Bobby Hargis and hearse driver Aubrey Rike.

Take, for instance, the famous photo of Lyndon B. Johnson being administered the presidential oath aboard Air Force One, Lady Bird to his right, Jackie to his left. The historical record has Jackie saying she would leave her cabin and take part in the process because "I owe it to the country." But listen to Braver's imagination at work:

"'Only for my children,' she says before [JFK aide Kenneth] O'Donnell can speak. 'I will only do it for my children. And I am not changing my dress. No pageants. . . . I am only coming out for my children. To let them know that their father can't leave that easily. I just can't validate worthlessness. I need that to be clear.'"

This is fiction, of course, but it has the ring of truth. Knowing what we do of Jackie, one of the most private of public people, it's possible to accept Braver's extrapolation of her inner reactions from the record. And it's both painful and fascinating, like rubbernecking at an accident, to watch.

With the audacity of confidence and a sure sense of fiction's ability to tell eternal truths better than history -- or what's a myth for? -- Braver re-creates the day the world changed, a world in which the bullet still flies and the soul is forever diminished. Contact Jay Strafford at (804) 649-6698 or jstrafford@timesdispatch. com.