I'm looking for a book, apparently published exclusively for the
Quality Paperback Book Club sometime in the mid-90's, around 1995-96
maybe.  I don't remember the Author or Title of the book but I will
give the most thorough description of the story I can remember.  It
was a science fiction story about a man who wakes up one morning &
gets an uneasy feeling while shaving, then while trying to get his cat
off of a roof, something scares it and he almost falls to his death. 
Later, while in a meeting at work, something is bothering him, in the
back of his mind, telling him to get out and drive, to go find his
wife, she's in danger.  He runs out of the meeting and finds that
she's been in a car accident.  When he sees her broken body, he breaks
down mentally and drifts off to another world (or plane of existence
or something) where she's still alive.  Everything seems ok until he
sees old footage of Kennedy being assassinated, which never happened
in his world.  He gets pushed from world to world whenever something
very traumatic happens to him and eventually learns how to move
himself from world to world.  He's continually on a quest to find that
perfect world with his wife... (i think).  At least that's the general
story that I can remember.  I got to read the book once when I got it,
lent it someone and never saw it again.  QPB doesn't know what book it
was, and when I had it, I worked in a bookstore & looked up the ISBN
because I was going to get a copy for the store but no database held
the ISBN at all.  That's why I think it was a QPB Special.  If anyone
can help with the Author, Title or even a copy of the book they'd be
willing to part with or sell, it'd be greatly appreciated.

The book that you're describing sounds like David Ambrose's "The Man
Who Turned Into Himself" (1993). For more information:
http://shop.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?isbn=0312131194

The first chapter is available on David Ambrose's web site:
http://www.davidambrose.com/manw_ex.htm

In the Usenet group rec.arts.sf.written, a brief description by R.B.
Schmunk includes the element you described about the Kennedy
assassination not happening:
"Ambrose, David, THE MAN WHO TURNED INTO HIMSELF (J. Cape 93; St.
Martin's 94)
... John and Robert Kennedy were not assassinated and Lloyd Bentsen
was
   president in 1990. ... The sight of his wife's death in an auto
accident shocks a man sideways into another version of himself."

Thanks for your question. I hope this helps.

---

Clarification of Answer by juggler-ga on 28 May 2002 12:40 PDT

I accidentally left out the link for that Usenet item:
http://groups.google.com/groups?q=kennedy+%22not+assassinated%22+%22wife%27s+death%22&hl=en&lr=&client=googlet&selm=2oecq9%24iu2%40valinor.giss.nasa.gov&rnum=1

That is spectacular.  This is exactly why the internet exists.  That
book has been kicking around in my head for 7 years now and I really
never thought I'd figure out what it was.

Thanks so much.

Unless someone has actually read this book, it is going to be hard to
find. Here is a list of 'good' science fiction books from the 1990's
in case Ambrose's
book was not 'it.' I would've suggested Books in Print, 1995-96
(common in bookstores and libraries) and Book Review Digest, another
library research tool.
http://www.magicdragon.com/UltimateSF/timeline2000.html#90sSum

skydivingnibbler:
You're welcome, and thanks for your nice comments. It sounds like a
good book. I might check out a copy myself if my local library has it.