Revival

Jamie Morton is the protagonist of Revival. He is introduced as a young boy living in the small town of Harlow, Maine. He is interested in toy soldiers but becomes drawn to science after he meets Charles Jacobs. An older Jamie narrates the story of his life with Jacobs, recounting events from a vantage point of more than 50 years after their first meeting.

Jamie’s life is marked by a series of reinventions. Following Jacobs’s departure from Harlow, Jamie develops a penchant for music that leads to a career as a rhythm guitarist, though his addiction to heroin cuts this short. After Jacobs helps Jamie to recover from his addiction, Jamie reinvents himself once again as a studio foreman at Wolfjaw Ranch in Colorado. He remains in this role until his retirement. After Jamie’s final encounter with Jacobs, he reinvents himself one more time as a retiree in Hawaii, living with his brother, Conrad. These reinventions allow King to portray The Emotional Costs of Starting Life Anew, showing how Jamie is unable to fully escape his past lives. He cannot let go of his attachments to his family and his life in Harlow, which is partly why he engages with Jacobs over and over again.