Story.One Publishing

Top 100 in the Young Storyteller Award contest in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland

★

“Well… and then I realized that it was my own eyes looking back at me. They were reflected in the murky windowpanes of a shisha bar. Only then did it dawn on me that I had been searching for myself all along.”

When Bente received her diploma six years ago, she expected to finally be free from every rule and restriction. The haze of youth had lifted, replaced by the liberties of adulthood. Yet in the search for herself, she quickly discovers that one cannot be found in objects, nor in the arms of others. Perhaps people are right, and in the end, the only thing one truly has is oneself.

Story.One Publishing

★

“In the end, we may discover something beautiful within our grotesques, for each of us knows that light cannot exist without the presence of darkness.”

Have you ever found yourself in a moment that made your blood run cold, your heart ache, or your cheeks flush with shame? Some experiences feel too raw—too grotesque or too naïve—to articulate aloud, yet we all long for an olive branch of mutual understanding. Grotesques is a poignant examination of the human condition, inviting readers to look beyond appearances and recognize the shared threads that bind us, even within what may seem unsettling or unsightly.