Duncan Polite, the Watchman of Glenoro

In the misty valleys of the Canadian Highlands, Duncan Polite walks his morning path to church, as he has done for decades. Now old, stooped, but still carrying those remarkable eyes that hold both kindness and a poet's sorrow, Duncan serves as the moral watchman of Glenoro. His father made a covenant to keep this valley virtuous, and Duncan has devoted his life to honoring that promise, guiding the young, restraining the wayward, hoping his nephew Donald might carry the legacy forward when he himself is gone. His friend Andrew Johnstone provides counterweight: stern where Duncan is gentle, forceful where Duncan is yielding. Together they hold the community between tradition and the swift currents of modernity. This is a novel of quiet, immense courage, the daily heroism of a man who believes that goodness is worth defending, that a valley can be kept whole, that faith and love are not idle words. For readers who find beauty in restraint, who understand that the smallest kindnesses are the hardest-won victories.