The award winning author Donna Morrissey discusses her new novel The Deception of Livvy Higgs (Viking, 2012), writing, living on Canada’s East Coast and more, with Joseph Planta.

The Deception of Livvy Higgs by Donna Morrissey (Viking, 2012). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: The Deception of Livvy Higgs

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

There’s a new book from the author Donna Morrissey, who joins me now. The Deception of Livvy Higgs is described as a haunting, powerful book that’s set in Halifax in 2009. The elderly Livvy is ill and she keeps drifting to her past, growing up in the French Shore of Newfoundland in the mid-1930s, to being in Halifax during World War II. She’s dealing with her past, and family members, and in the present, she’s got a neighbour Gen, a single mum to a young son, and the two of them are in each other’s lives. The book has been compared to the Stone Angel, and Ms. Morrissey is said to be at the height of her powers in creating this novel, these strong characters, and this memorable book. The reviews have been quite good, and almost all of them are talking about how the story lingers with the reader long after putting down the book. I’ve started it and the images the author paints with her words are quite powerful. I’ll get Ms. Morrissey to tell us about the book, and I’ll ask her what inspired these strong female characters, and whether she’s been thinking about memory and growing older. Donna Morrissey is an award winning writer whose previous books include Kit’s Law, Downhill Chance, What They Wanted, and Sylvanus Now, which was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers Prize. She lives in Halifax, but joins me in Vancouver this day, in the midst of appearances at the Vancouver Writers Festival. Her website is at www.donnamorrissey.ca. The book is published by Viking. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Donna Morrissey; Ms. Morrissey, good morning.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (20.6MB)

Subscribe: RSS