On One Condition

“If I tell the truth then everything is gonna be alright. That’s the condition, right?

Tell us about what happened at the party yesterday,” the investigator says, and I breathe in, not knowing where to begin, thinking about my mum, then I finally open my mouth to explain."

Yousef’s life is centred around rules – at home, at school, and among his group of friends. But he’s a constant let-down to his mum, the child protection service has already got a foot in the door, and among his mates, Yousef is well on his way to becoming an outsider.

But Yousef believes he can fix all this. Until a party in Stovner changes everything.

Nominated for the 2024 Norwegian Youth Literature Award (“Uprisen”)