Narcissi: A Novel by Babette Fraser Hale

 

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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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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REVIEW

Short Story: How far can a man run before he finds the right woman?

We first meet Cole Burnett, Texas writer and novelist, as he’s sneaking out of the house he shares with his second wife. He’s afraid of her, and probably with good reason. He’s in his sixties, has only a typewriter and a talent for penning interesting stories. He doesn’t sound like much, but he does have one thing than most men lack: an effortless charm that boldly proclaims, I’m interested in you, you matter, and I want to hear your story. Women eat it up. Cole makes no outright promises, so whether it’s the right diet for them it is for his partners to decide.

Cole is a complicated man who, surprisingly for a man of his age, still doesn’t know what he wants and sometimes those who love him pay the price. He could be a loyal lifelong friend but he can also be a coward who strings along women because he can’t bring himself to hurt them until he does.

The story is told from both viewpoints; Cole’s and the women he meets. Some are brief hookups, some of the women actively pursue him. He just seems happy to go along for the ride. I am glad we got the woman’s perspective of the relationship, how they viewed him and how he fit into their lives.

I enjoyed riding along with Cole as he cruised around the state, looking for a new story. His interest in birds, country roads, nature and all the little things that make Texas well, Texas was great, but it’s a lonely story. I found Cole a lost and rather sad man-child, using women to keep the night at bay. That doesn’t make him a bad man. They used him as well, but it did make him feel kinda pathetic.

I wasn’t sure what to think when I started the book, but I really enjoyed it. It has a slow easy pace and you really get to know the characters. The ending is satisfying as Cole finally slows down long enough to realize the heart wants what the heart wants and for once he gets it.

I recommend this to readers who enjoy a deep dive into a complex emotional character.

 

To learn more about the book, look for #LSLLNarcissi on your preferred social media platform.

 

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