The Halloween Ball

The Halloween Ball, published in 1987, was James H. Kunstler's sixth novel. It takes place in a small up-state New York town during a roughly twenty-four hour period on Halloween day. The story revolves around four main characters, all men in their thirties, who are involved, one way or another, with a Halloween costume party that will be thrown that evening, and which promises to be the biggest social event the town has seen in decades.Kunstler's prose is concise and accessible, and seems to reflect his journalist background. He has an eye for architectural detail, but does not allow his descriptions to get in the way of the story. There is a definite anti-developement message, but it is not as strident and tendentious as Kunstler's more recent writings which specifically critique what he calls the "fiasco of suburbia." Kunstler does an admirable job of getting you to care about his characters, although you never really get to know them very well. And while the main plot lines intersect and tie-up nicely, there are a few threads which seem to just fizzle.Nevertheless, the Halloween Ball is a good read. Curl up with it on a chilly autumn evening with a mug of mulled wine and enjoy.