It's hard to write about
Agyar without spoiling certain very important surprises, but since this is a
book that should not be missed, I'll do my best. That said, you may be better off not reading any further if you'd rather not learn anything of the
plot (which really makes a lot more sense when you understand the surprises I won't reveal).
Quite simply, Agyar, by Steven Brust, is an unconventional tale of love, loss, pain, and of finding onesself. It is a first-person account of several weeks in the life of John Agyar, a man who lives in an abandoned house which is haunted by Jim, a friendly black ghost. Agyar is smooth with the ladies, and tends to have very little trouble getting anyone to do pretty much anything he asks, with the exception of Laura Kellem.
Kellem, Agyar's former lover, has committed a brutal murder and informs Agyar that he will take the fall for it. The nature of their relationship is such that Agyar cannot resist Kellem's will, and thus he resigns himself to his fate.
In the meantime, Agyar has been spending time with a lovely young artist named Jill, although he finds himself falling in love with Jill's roommate, Susan. He finally decides that his love for Susan is more important to him than his subservience to Kellem, and he sets about trying to find a way to escape her grasp.
Agyar is a haunting and disturbing fantasy that you owe it to yourself to read. Do it. Do it now. Steven Brust, as I've said before and will say again, is a genius.