In her new book, The Selfishness of Others, Kristin Dombek turns her deliberate inquisition and dry humor on the suddenly ubiquitous if “sketchy” word narcissism. In conversation with Laura Creste at the Ploughshares blog, Dombek talks about the origins and offshoots of her interest in narcissism, refracted by the memoir form, polyamory, and a kind of basic animal insecurity. Creste’s vote of confidence:

Kristin Dombek writes the kind of essay I want to read: pieces that balance her substantial critical faculties with a rare personal openness.