Narcissi: A Novel

By Babette Fraser Hale

Women’s Fiction / Texas Fiction

Publisher: Winedale Publishing

Publication Date: October 15, 2026

Synopsis

Ten women fall for Cole Burnett, a traveling Texas writer. He is the kind of man whose need for freedom should send lovers running in the opposite direction. But he has a lanky charisma and the gift of listening, rare enough at any time. The women he encounters in Narcissi, a novel-in-stories, find his attention compelling, and they all get hurt, or cause hurt. But hurt is never the whole story.

Each woman brings her own complicated life into her time with Cole, conflicts with husbands, traumas survived, needs postponed, children. And children grow up with questions.

Burnett understands that loneliness compels him toward the women he meets. But none of them seems to reach where the loneliness resides, where whatever’s missing pushes him to keep moving, to find a purpose for his future. Later, after the death threat, traveling becomes a way to stay alive.

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Review

This novel is multifaceted and could be interpreted several ways. Some might look at Cole as a player with the number of women he becomes involved with over the years, some might see it as his journey to finding true happiness, and some might see it as an evolution of human behavior as time marched on and the change in the times and culture. No matter how you interpret the message, you will find a story that is a study in life and human nature.

I appreciated Cole’s character. He encountered many women that sometimes just needed an ear to listen to them, or fill a need in that moment. He was kind and compassionate, even in the tough times. While he might not have done the right thing every time, his character continued to grow and mature, even though he is older. He didn’t seek out relationships, they found him. Because of his career in journalism, he was on the move a lot, which was a good and a bad thing. He got the stories that made him famous, but it took a toll on his marriages. This was a time before cell phones and other ways to track people, so it was easy for situations to be blown out of proportion.

While the focus is on Cole and his various relationships, there are follow-up stories for some of the women. This is a compilation of many short stories that tie together and provide a broader picture of Cole, Texas, and life. It was easy to get swept up in the past, and I appreciated the variety of emotions, especially Julia’s near the end.

This is a beautifully told story, and we give it 5 paws up.

About the Author

Babette Hale is the author of A Wall of Bright Dead Feathers, winner of the 2022 Troncoso Award for debut fiction from the Texas Institute of Letters, and a memoir, This Familiar Heart, about her relationship with her late husband, Leon Hale. In addition to writing fiction, she has been a magazine feature writer, columnist, book editor, publisher and part owner of a bookstore. She lives in Texas and is a member of the Texas Institute of Letters.

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