Libra is a novel that takes a different approach of portraying the events that led up to the assassination of John F. Kennedy, following the life of his accused murderer, Lee Harvey Oswald. Beginning in the childhood of Oswald, the book continues to describe his time with the United States Marine Corps, and his marriage of a young Russian woman, all of which may have played a role in the assassination, according to DeLillo.
In the book, it is told that the assassination was meant to fail, plotted by old CIA operatives that want the US government to start a war with Cuba. Oswald is part of the Communist party, so it is hard to fit in with the rest of his American peers. Surprising, he is not portrayed as "bad", but his "good" side is not overly extrapolated. Instead, DeLillo brings a neutral account, indicating that Oswald was not insane, but not a genius, loving but not perfect.
Other characters are mentioned in the book that may have helped plan the assassination, but are not described in as much detail. Later in the book, readers become engaged with Nicholas Branch, a detective trying to figure out much of what has already described. Libra incorporates much of DeLillo's notable writing styles, such as including seemingly including the reader in the novel, and incorporating themes like drama and making sense of things.
