Libra is a novel written by Don DeLillo and published in 1988.
The novel is a fictional speculation of Lee Harvey Oswald's life and upbringing, leading up to the assassination of JFK in 1963. Intertwining with the main plot are the exploits of two disgruntled CIA agents convinced that a false flag operation to fake a failed assassination attempt on JFK is the only way to convince the US government to take drastic action against Fidel Castro.
Unlike DeLillo's previous breakout novel, White Noise (1985), Libra is notably much darker, more melancholic, tense and a lot less humorous in tone, signaling the direction of his later writings and concerns.
Tropes found in the novel:
- Darker and Edgier: Libra is notably much darker, more melancholic, tense and a lot less humorous in tone when compared to DeLillo's previous breakout novel.
- Fake–Real Turn: This is how the assassination of JFK happened. It started as a false flag operation to fake a failed assassination attempt but became real through a process that will never be fully understood.
- False Flag Operation: The assassination of President Kennedy is portrayed as an American false flag operation meant to implicate the Communists.
- Historical Domain Character: Oswald, his family, friends, Fidel Castro and JFK are all real people.
- Riddle for the Ages: The investigators admit that the tangled web of clues about what happened could never be unraveled, and no one will ever know how it all played out.
- Springtime for Hitler: The False Flag Operation was supposed to be discovered and thwarted, embarrassing the Communists who were supposed to take the blame. Instead, the assassination attempt actually happens and works.