Mary Novik's Conceit is the story of Pegge, the daughter of the poet John Donne, a contemporary of Shakespeare. On his way up in Queen Elizabeth's court, Donne elopes with a young woman from a good family, destroying his career. His lament is famous: "John Donne. Ann Donne. Undone." Ann dies young, in her 12th childbirth, and Donne becomes the Dean of St Paul's Cathedral in London.

Once famed for writing erotic poems to women, Donne begins to arrange safe marriages for his five daughters. When Pegge's turn comes, she rebels, determined to taste passion for herself. In this novel, we experience Pegge's curiosity about her father's love-life and her struggle to get the key to her own sexuality out from underneath his pillow.

Published by Doubleday in 2007, Conceit was called “a magnificent novel of 17th-century London” by The Globe and Mail. It was chosen as a Book of the Year by both Quill & Quire and The Globe and Mail, and AbeBooks called it one of the Top Ten Hottest New Canadian Books for 2008. It was long-listed for the Giller, won the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize, and has just been named one of Canada Reads' Top 40 Essential Canadian Novels of the Decade.

Mary welcomes you to her website at www.marynovik.com  As well as highlights from reviews, it features a blog, biography, book club materials, and photographs from events and book club visits. You can also read about the inspiration for Conceit and learn more about the 17th-century background.

Mary's second novel Muse, which is set in 14th-century Avignon, will be published by Doubleday Canada in 2012.

Photo of Mary by Nicholas Seiflow