He's just using it as a device to see what people are like in that situation.

Yes, I expect that from King. Usually, his theme of "people are the scariest evil" works well for me. In this case...well, I don't know if it's a realistic depiction of small-town Maine, since I don't live there, but I don't find it a realistic depiction of people. There's no one character who seems wrong, it's the balance that's off. Or am I to believe that only Brits are capable of "Blitz spirit"?

I daresay the dome explanation won't live up to the hype, but I'm willing to slog through just to find out. There are other story threads of interest...in this case it's the audiobook narrator who's making it hard going :(