I quite liked Dreamcatcher, so I'm a bit perplexed as to why so many people dislike it.

The author himself supposedly said in an interview with the Rolling Stone that he doesn't like it very much. Although I wasn't able to find the interview myself to verify it, it is cited in so many places that it must be true.

Now, I'm not exactly a die-hard Stephen King fan and haven't read a vast amount of his work. I'm somewhat familiar with his writing (who isn't?), I enjoy listening to him speak about writing, and I definitely admire his work ethics. However, I'm not really into the horror genre. I like a mix of macabre, science fiction, Gothic, and thriller novels with a touch of horror, but horror as such usually isn't my cup of tea.

This novel had some really impressive parts, though. Perhaps I liked Dreamcatcher because it's not the standard Stephen King novel. There are some key SF elements in it, like invading aliens, and it isn't overly frightening. Mostly, it's just gross in its description of the aforementioned aliens. But I don't think that's the only reason. I actually didn't find the plot itself that interesting. There was something else that drew me in, and I suspect it's the characters.

I'm pretty sure I liked the book because I could empathize with its characters. The novel centers around four lifelong friends who, as young boys, saved a special needs kid from high school bullies. Gary "Jonesy" Jones, Pete Moore, Joe "Beaver" Clarendon, and Henry Devlin are all quite depressed when they meet for their annual hunting trip, but their friendship seems genuine and perhaps it will help.

However, soon things start to take a turn for the worse, and their hunting trip turns bloody. As the novel progresses, we gain deeper insights into their past, especially their friendship with the special needs kid. We learn how that one event influenced their lives, but we also see them struggling in the present. These four characters were well-portrayed and developed. They are all quite vulnerable and flawed, but that's what I liked about them. Honestly, I found their friendship with each other and the special needs kid touching. As someone who has volunteered for years with kids with special needs and now often works with them, I can attest to the fact that they can change our lives for the better. Often, one feels like they are helping us, not the other way around.

I actually started reading this book a long time ago and I'm not entirely sure if I finished it back then. Anyhow, this weekend I picked it up again and read it. There were some things about it that I didn't like, but there were more things I did like than those I didn't.

The writing style also appealed to me. The car crash and the descriptions of pain were very convincing (perhaps because King wrote it while recovering from a car crash). Some of the dialogues were brilliantly written. The writer pushed it a bit too far with some repeated phrases that were supposed to give the protagonists a local idiom feel, but most of the dialogues actually felt quite natural and real. The pacing didn't impress me, and I found myself skimming at times. Moreover, the descriptions of aliens and the references to popular culture made the story seem a bit like a parody. I can see why a lot of people disliked the whole idea. The whole alien thing didn't feel inspired or original at all. Still, when I look at the whole story and connect it with the characters, it isn't bad. The ending made sense as well. You know, it is a pretty good novel.