Running away from reality, and searching for something lost or unknown are the twin themes that define James Howard Kunstler’s new novel The Witch of Hebron (Atlantic Monthly Press). Subtitled A World Made by Hand Novel, the book is a sequel to Kunstler’s initial exploration of the world after it all goes even further to hell than it already has here in our real world.

In Kunstler’s landmark non-fiction book The Long Emergency, the writer and social critic warned passionately and convincingly of the nigh-apocalyptic results likely to come to pass as a result of the untimely but inevitable confluence of a number of paradigm shifts that we seem to be in the middle of: Peak Oil, climate change, and the collapse of economic delusions that, even as I write this, seem to be slowly, agonizingly bringing the entire planet to its knees (in fact, Kunstler recently declared on his blog that he believes we are now in Phase Two of The Long Emergency).

In Kunstler’s World Made by Hand, the author turned his talents to fiction to illustrate what is likely to happen after the dust is settled, the oil is gone, the wars are over (and in fact, impossible) and the world has become much larger and filled with unknowns (there are rumors that an American government still exists somewhere, but with no power to communicate beyond the sound of one’s own voice, no one is quite sure – the only thing known for certain is that both Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles were destroyed by nukes before the times completely transformed into the new world).

And so The Witch of Hebron finds Kunstler returning again to the fictional but very fully-realized town of Union Grove, in Washington County, New York. The story picks up just months after the climax of World Made by Hand, and many of the same characters (the hokey but mystical Brother Jobe, the profoundly decent and deeply human Robert Earle, mayor of Union Grove), return. There are new people to learn about as well, most notably the psychopathic self-aggrandizing bandit Billy Bones, and the titular and altogether mesmerizing (to the characters, and to this reader) Witch of Hebron, Barbara Maglie. The main focus of the story, though, is on 11-year old Jasper Copeland, son of the town doctor and the character whose brash but sympathetic actions drive the narrative. Jasper suffers a great loss and strikes out in his pain, utilizing what he has learned as the son of the town’s doctor to take unwise revenge, and then fleeing Union Grove for the promise of the near-legendary city of Glens Falls, twenty miles and a world away.

Jasper has heard many things about Glens Falls and hopes to start a new life there, where he can apprentice with a doctor and hide from the shame and agony of what he has done. Unfortunately for him, he meets up with the quite insane (but nonetheless somewhat charming, in his own ridiculous way) Billy Bones along the way; additionally, Glens Falls isn’t quite what it used to be, as Kunstler lays out in an astonishing travelogue along one of its former main roads. Meanwhile, back in Union Grove, the victim of Jasper’s revenge uses some supernatural means to determine who is responsible for what has happened, and where he might currently be, and all the narrative lines begin to flow inexorably (and joyously – Kunstler’s storytelling here flows like the mighty Hudson on a sun-dappled fall afternoon) toward the well-appointed and dream-like home of The Witch of Hebron.

Kunstler’s regular weekly essays on his website frequently decry the denial and immaturity of the American mindset that has gotten us where we are today, and I am sure it’s no coincidence that Jasper’s initial actions and choices seem to stem from similar drives. His actions set him on a journey that will decide the rest of his life, just as Kunstler no doubt believes that the choices being made every day on the personal and national level will define our culture and way of life for decades and even centuries to come. The author doesn’t hit us over the head with themes and metaphors, though – even more so than World Made by Hand, The Witch of Hebron is first and foremost a rollercoaster ride through a new world of broken highways and dim memories of another time. One dazzling sequence finds a character remembering fondly a time when imported delights and spectacular delicacies were as close as a stop at the nearest supermarket, a luxury no one at all can enjoy in the new times of The Witch of Hebron.

On the other hand, Kunstler suggests with great power and detail the very real pleasures that could stand revealed after the end of our current world. The Witch of Hebron establishes a place where the Bloomin’ Onion is gone but not forgotten (it is, in fact, fondly remembered, and in great detail), but where such deep-fried and ultimately destructive treats have been supplanted by real, local foods that are devoured by the residents of Union Grove with a gusty hedonism no doubt inspired by the very real struggle it would take to create such sustenance by hand. Whether a character is eating mashed potatoes with real, locally produced butter or the inescapable staple cornbread (wheat won’t grow in the part of the world these stories are told in), one gets the feeling that each bite is pondered over and enjoyed because it is the product of hard work, and not easily gotten. Kunstler is often criticized for having a “doom and gloom” perspective, but the joy his characters take in the simplest pleasures and necessities show that he not only believes a better world can come out of our current transformative times, but that it almost by definition has to.

There’s a good deal of the supernatural to be found in The Witch of Hebron, as you might expect from the title. Some people seem to carry special abilities that were unknown in the old (i.e., our) times. Being a loyal and enthusiastic follower of Kunstler’s blunt, no-nonsense non-fiction, I had been both surprised and even a bit put off by World Made by Hand’s more fantastical elements (especially the powers of Brother Jobe). But such mysticism and exploration of the unknown is a common element in post-apocalyptic fiction (see Stephen King’s The Stand as perhaps the best example, or better yet, The Bible’s Book of Revelations), and it stands to reason that once the world stops being distracted by big screen TVs, YouTube and NASCAR, perhaps humankind will discover (or rediscover) a connection to the unknown parts of ourselves that can commune with the universe in ways we can only begin to imagine in our present state. In any case, powers such as those of Brother Jobe or The Witch of Hebron allow amazing transformations to happen, not only for Jasper, but for others in need of change (Jasper), or help (the Reverend Loren Holder), or revelation (Jasper’s father, the town doctor). More than once, Kunstler’s skill at depicting the joy of life, or discovery, or change, arrested my senses with a sympathetic appreciation for what his characters are able to learn and achieve, and with a renewed appreciation for the skill with which the author composes his prose.

Ultimately, whether our world goes precisely the way Kunstler expects (in both his fiction and non-fiction) is yet to be known. But the world the author creates, burned-out big box stores, torn-up pavement and all, is one worth exploring, and one that celebrates a very real human spirit that could still be burning within us all. If only we’d shut off the big-screen TVs, let go of the illusions and distractions that blind us to the true nature of our world now and in the very near future, and take the time to focus on what is real and what is true. There is kindness and great potential at the heart of nearly every soul, Kunstler seems to say, but we have buried them under so many Bloomin’ Onions and old car tires that we have all but forgotten what it is to truly be alive. Let The Witch of Hebron remind you.

James Howard Kunstler’s The Witch of Hebron will be released in September, 2010 by Atlantic Monthly Press.