Breakfast With Narcissus

Is it murder to evict a thief?

Breakfast With Narcissus takes place on Earth in 2353. It alternates between the viewpoint of a therapist, Cadence Sung, and her client Coriander, a Plural carrying the consciousnesses of three men: Ham, Dutch, and Mouse. Coriander is struggling with a mixup that left them stranded in Ham’s body instead of Mouse’s. Cade is helping them cope, and trying not to think about how many more Plurals she would be helping had she not tanked her career as a public advocate. 

If Mahit Dzmare from A Memory Called Empire (2019) had an accident that ended her ballet career and went to Harrow from Harrow the Ninth (2020) for therapy on the glittering Earth of Perhaps The Stars (2021) in a book that blends the tension of People Collide (2023) with the playfulness of Open Throat (2023), you would get Breakfast With Narcissus. There is no necromancy, space travel, or cannibalism, but there is queer love, body swapping, and a big cat.

The author is currently seeking representation.

FAQs

  • Doctor Cadence Sung was once an influential advocate for Plural rights. She impacted thousands of people before tanking her career and marriage in a single day.

    On Thursdays she treats Coriander, a Plural carrying three consciousnesses: Ham, Dutch, and Mouse. Their body should have been Mouse’s but an accident stranded them in Ham’s. As a result, Ham will never return to ballet and Mouse will never feel whole.

  • When a stranger turns up wearing Mouse’s body, Cade sees a chance for redemption. If she ignores the conflict of interest and collaborates with the person responsible for the mixup, she can prove there was merit in the theory that made her a laughingstock. For Coriander the stranger’s arrival raises questions: who is in Mouse’s body, is it murder to evict a thief, and would they kill if it meant Ham could dance again?

  • There is kissing, making out, and a short consensual sex scene but BWN is not a Romance so don’t expect a Happily Ever After.

  • This book deals with dysphoria and disability. It contains some strong language, some substance use, and some sexual content (see IS THIS A KISSING BOOK). One scene contains violence that is not graphic.

  • As of January 2025 Breakfast with Narcissus is not published. If you are an agent who represents queer and speculative fiction, I’d love to hear from you.