In the Shadow of the Water Tower is written by Alan Kirby. Brothers Joe and Darren Kelly received a puzzling telephone call from an attorney summoning them to their hometown, Glenville. They travel to hear about Uncle Shorty’s will, and are surprised that he made them executors of his large estate. The Kellys are to distribute Uncle Shorty’s money to the most deserving persons and institutions in Glenville within one month. Every citizen has a hard luck story, genuine or otherwise. Joe and Darren rekindle old friendships and make new ones. They also reconnect with past despicable classmates, and are harassed by Lonnie, a town hoodlum who feels he should get a large share of the money. The Kellys' lives are permanently changed once they reach Glenville, but they don’t want their personal feelings to get in the way of the role which was thrust upon them. Can they successfully complete their mission in the allotted time given?

In the Shadow of the Water Tower is a beautiful novel. It contains pleasant memories of a past that is almost forgotten, greed, sadness, and old grievances which are never forgotten.The author writes a wonderful original drama in first person narrative, with Darren being the main narrator. Kirby has a comforting writing style that I like, and his wry humour is visible throughout the interesting content. This book has a natural feel as the author includes a few of his own nostalgic tales filled with mixed emotions.

Three years after the death of a dear family friend, Uncle Shorty, two brothers, Darren and Joe Kelly, 60 and 63 years old, received a strange call from a lawyer. The brothers were requested at the reading of Uncle Shorty's will in their hometown of Glenville, Indiana. On reaching Glenville and hearing Uncle Shorty's wishes, the two brothers were ready to get started on fulfilling his last wish - I mean how hard could it be? They were, however, shocked beyond words when they learnt the size of the estate - fifty million dollars - to be distributed within the Glenville community. The decision of who would benefit from Uncle Shorty's generosity was entirely up to the Kelly brothers, but they had 30 days to accomplish this. So the two started on the intensive groundwork necessary for their decision-making, catching up with old friends (and enemies) along the way, and once again getting to know the home they had left forty years ago.

In The Shadow of the Water Tower by Alan Kirby is an inspiring story about an amazing and very unexpected act of generosity that profoundly touched the life of two brothers and would go on to touch an entire community for a very long time to come. Alan Kirby created an amazing story with an original plot and characters that are very memorable and easily relatable. Bouncing between the past and the present, the story portrays a laid-back town with a close-knit community as seen through the eyes of brothers Darren and Joe, then and now as the two reminisce about old times and the lives they had lived. I was completely amazed by Uncle Shorty's wisdom in his choice of executors of his estate; it was a pure genius move. In The Shadow of the Water Tower by Alan Kirby is an inspirational story with full doses of humour and drama and I really enjoyed it.