There were times I loved this story. There were times I hated it. But I was helplessly addicted to it. I read this book almost every moment of free time I had until I finished it. Sometimes I had to force myself to take a break from it. When I couldn't sit down and read it, I was constantly thinking about the characters and events. I even had a few poor nights of sleep because my mind couldn't stop processing it. Under the Dome is an in-depth, compelling story that latches onto the reader and pulls him/her along for a long ride of mystery, conspiracy, and tragedy.
Chester's Mill, Maine is a typical, small-town community where everyone knows each other. One day in October, an inexplicable barrier comes down and surrounds the entire town, cutting it off from the outside world. As the citizens try to understand the phenomenon and cope with the inconveniences caused by the Dome, a string of tragedies unfold and are exacerbated by the actions of some of the town's less-than-stellar residents. Meanwhile, there is a small minority who try to make right of the situations at hand, but theirs is an uphill battle for not only justice, but also for survival.
At the top of the list of the power hungry citizens is James "Big Jim" Rennie, owner of the local used car lot, the town's elected Second Selectman, and mastermind of a meth lab hidden within the town. He uses people's fears and insecurities against them in order to keep himself in power, to keep his criminal activities secret, and to obtain the glory he is so desperate to achieve when the Dome situation comes to the end - by his hand, he hopes. But his methods are dirty and underhanded. And he has nearly the entire town under his influence.
On the other end of the spectrum is Colonel (formerly Lieutenant) Dale "Barbie" Barbara, retired from the army, currently the cook in the town's local diner, and the liaison between those beneath the Dome and the outside world. Barbie is the biggest threat to Big Jim's power and influence because Barbie was not only tapped by the government to take over leadership in Chester's Mill but also because he is aware of Big Jim's shady activities. Barbie knows early on that he is in Big Jim's cross hairs.
There are dozens more characters in this story, all magnificently fleshed out. Their personalities, backgrounds, histories, worries, hopes, and struggles are described in great detail, crafting and adding a tangible element of realism to them and the story as a whole. The reader is drawn in to their many stories and perspectives, feeling emotionally attached to each and every one. The reader cheers for the protagonists' triumphs. Curses the successes of the antagonists. Feels sympathy for the tragedies that befall the heroes. Feels vindicated when the bad guys stumble with their own failures. Wants to rip his/her hair out because of all the stupid decisions made by the good guys, but takes great delight by the mistakes made by their enemies.
The town of Chester's Mill is described very well. (Having a map is a nice addition.) A lot of thought was put into the community and its environment. From all the small town shops to the small scale public service facilities (and sometimes, lack thereof) available. From the comfortable homes of the upper class to the rough and rugged conditions of the poorer residents. From the well funded and upkept church to the dilapidated and condemned landmark bridge. The diversity of the townsfolk; farmers, businessmen, religious figures, the community's youth population, out-of-towners, lifelong residents, the rich, the poor, addicts, service providers, and so on. All of this serves amazingly well to craft a living breathing town, to make the reader believe that this town exists, to make the reader able to relate to such a community.
I felt that Under the Dome was a very easy read. Despite all the descriptions, the reader is not hung up on just the environment or details. These specifics are spun and crafted with great care, making these details part of the story rather than an interruption from the events. Although there are a few places in the story where King takes a side step to describe a seemingly unrelated anecdote, those instances eventually come back around and tie into the story with great relevance and make the current situation in the story all the more poignant and tangible. Although the book is over 1000 pages, it is very fast paced from start to finish. It is difficult to put down; the reader compelled to find out what happens next.
Under the Dome is told from the multiple (third person) view points from both sides of the conflict. This gives the reader greater understanding of the events, helps to foretell tragedy as it unfolds, guides through unexpected twists and turns, and elicits greater fear for or anger towards the characters (depending on the character in question). When King switches from one POV to the next, it is not marked nor is there an exact pattern for when he switches (for instance, some authors will indicate a switch by titling their chapters with the name of the character whose POV is being followed). Despite this lack of pattern or demarcation, the reader is easily able to figure out when a POV switch is made and whose POV is being followed. The only downside is that the reader gets comfortable following one character after a while, gets really excited or drawn into that character's experiences, and then is suddenly cut off from that character to catch up with someone else. However, I wouldn't want to have had the story written in a different way, because there is so much going on at any given point that this was the only way this story could have been told.
The biggest, number one complaint I could issue with this story is how stupid and gullible so many of the characters were. This stupidity more often than not ended very poorly. These characters had a 'could never happen to me' attitude that just frustrated me more and more with each avoidable mistake. By the end of the book, I almost had no hope for some of the characters (for both their intelligence and their survival) especially when the outlook appeared bleaker and bleaker. I don't know if this pattern of foolishness was intentional or not in order to draw out the suspense, but that was the result.
I also felt that the ending of the story was rather abrupt. The actual issue of the Dome - how it got there, how to get rid of it - wasn't given much attention or thought. The story was more about the conflict between the town's two factions than it was about survival under the Dome or escape from it. The story spent a lot of time building up to a climax between Big Jim and Barbie, but then it drifted elsewhere. I kept expecting that karma would eventually catch up to Big Jim, and it eventually does, but when it finally does, it's far too little and far too late to be of any consequence. It was quite a let down.
Despite the few issues I had with the story, I still feel that this book is definitely one worth reading. It is well worth the money spent and will keep you occupied for many many hours. I highly recommend it.
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