A humorous and deeply human short story collection that celebrates outsiders, dreamers, and the queer.
 
The award-winning Slovak writer Barbora Hrínová’s short stories paint an intimate portrait of people searching for happiness in a world that feels increasingly unstable and uncertain. Across the eight stories in this volume, we meet a rich cast of ordinary yet unconventional people trying to find their place in a society that often prefers conformity over authenticity. Taking us to such settings as a bustling cafe, a small village shack, a rental flat, or a psychiatric ward, Hrínová captures the texture of everyday life with piercing accuracy and a fresh, original voice.
 
Unicorns is a remarkable debut that resonates across generations. With compassion, wit, and an eye for detail, it shows us that weirdness isn’t rare—it’s a universal human experience.

Barbora Hrínová studied at the Film and TV Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava, where she now teaches in the Screenwriting Department. A three-time finalist for the Poviedka short story award, Hrínová also produces radio documentaries for Slovak and Czech national broadcasting. Isabel Stainsby is a translator with extensive experience in French, German, Czech, and Slovak.

1.The Saturn Return
2.Chemistry
3.Internations
4.Sweet
5.Near Miss
6.Unicorns
7.One of Us
8.Gossip
Translator’s Acknowledgements