In this paper I examine the dilemma faced by reflexive narrative inquirers who write in the first-person "I" while advocating for a postmodern reading of the "self." This paper asks the question: How can the reflexive educational researcher craft a research narrative that, on the one hand, strives for self-presence, while on the other hand, denies the transparency of language? I discuss current post-structuralist critiques of educational research rhetoric, and extend the critique to narrative research, suggesting that an arts-informed approach to narrative allows researchers to disrupt the authority of their text. I explore the use of a specific fictionalizing technique--the unreliable narrator--to assist readers in critically deciphering reflexive research narratives.