I hear what you are saying about the volume of upsetting news. I'm also one of the ones who shuns the news, for those same reasons. This book didn't upset me in anyway. I felt connected to the people, especially to Pete. I felt that I did care about what they were going through, and the mist and its potential horrors was always there, but it mostly plays second fiddle to the story about the characters. You don't get bombarded with graphic details - that is why I said the horror was subtle.