"This novel of home and homelessness, of exile both physical and psychological, centers on Kimi, a fragile heroine suffering from a rift in her persona, unable to distinguish between her own pain and the pain of others. For Kimi it is not a simple case of to be or not to be, but rather of how to be in disjointed and contrary times. Leaves of Narcissus is about a young Arab student going West in search of education. Here, though, the protagonist is a young women and her destination is Ireland, a part of the West and at the same time a victim of the ravages of colonialism - adding ambiguity to the customary representations of the East/West dichotomy."--BOOK JACKET.