Author of Hutterite murder mystery coming to library

A Winnipeg-born author is bringing readers to an isolated community after a murder disrupts the harvest season for a Hutterite colony in southern Manitoba.

Don Macdonald’s novel, “The Faithful,” follows the investigation into the murder of Jacob Waldner — leader of a fictional Hutterite colony, who was found dead in an Airbnb while on a trip to Winnipeg.

After Macdonald finished his first book, “Omand’s Creek,” he said he began looking for a topic for a second book.

“I was always really curious about Hutterites because when I was young, I’d see them in Winnipeg … and I started to research Hutterites and learned about their fascinating history and their way of life,” Macdonald said.

He decided all his research into Hutterite colonies would make “rich material” for a second novel.

Macdonald — who now lives in Montreal — said the “richness” of Manitoba is what inspires him to continue to set stories in his home province.

“I just love the panoramic landscapes of the prairies, especially at that time of year,” Macdonald said on a phone call from Winnipeg on Monday.

While writing about a community that wasn’t his, Macdonald pulled on 20 years of journalism experience to craft a story about rural Manitoba.

“(I) wanted to make sure that I was portraying Hutterites accurately and fairly, while still trying to tell a compelling mystery story,” he said.

Macdonald said he visited a Hutterite colony while working on the book, spoke with many Hutterites and shared the manuscript with a man who lives in a colony.

“I wanted to be really respectful and accurate and fair in my portrayal,” he said.

Macdonald visited Brandon while working on the novel, and he’ll be reading from it and speaking with readers next Tuesday, Oct. 13, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Brandon Public Library in The Town Centre.

He said he’s “looking forward” to speaking with an audience in Brandon.

“The people are going to have more familiarity and a closer understanding of Hutterites than any of the audiences that I’ve spoken to up until now,” he said.

“In Eastern Canada, I basically had to explain the A to Z of the Hutterites because there aren’t any Hutterites in Eastern Canada, and the people there often mistake them with the Amish and the Mennonites,” Macdonald said.

“But like in Brandon, people know about the Hutterites (and) it’s fun to speak about my book and to get people’s feedback,” he said.

Alex Rogowsky, manager of programming and community services at the library, said he hopes the setting of the book will encourage more people to read it.

The library tries to hold author book talks “if it’s got some kind of extra relevance to our community,” Rogowsky said.

“A book like this matters because people who see themselves represented by characters in the novel will enjoy that, and then people who are from communities that are not represented within it will learn about other communities,” he said.

The drop-in event is free to attend, and copies of the book will be available to borrow from the library.

» rgerrard@brandonsun.com