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Between I and I: A quiet war between the selves we hide — and the voice that stays to witness.
Sometimes, the most terrifying thing is not what you remember — but what you never dared to feel.
Between I and I is not a typical psychological novel.
It is a story about childhood trauma that never healed — only buried itself deeper.
About silence that grew into structure.
About fear that split into names.
About a boy who learned too early that being seen can be dangerous — and grew up dividing himself to survive.
It is also about a man who was never just one.
About the voices inside us that protect, distort, and, sometimes, save us.
Thomas Elai Grayson is a quiet library worker. He knows how to organize memory. How to smile at the right moment. How to disappear without leaving. But when Iris — the only person who ever truly saw him — vanishes, something inside begins to crack. Not loudly. Quietly, like a step in the wrong direction.
Inside Thomas live three parts.
Adam — rational, cold, composed. He sees patterns where others see pain.
Martha — gentle, watchful, empathetic. Her voice sounds like the kind you forget you need until it speaks.
The Shadow — a child. Frightened. Confused. Silent, not because he has nothing to say, but because he learned too early that saying anything could be dangerous.
The story unfolds in voices, in memory fragments, in pages and messages that were never sent. You will not be led — you will be allowed in. And maybe you’ll recognize something not about Thomas, but about yourself.
Because this is not a story about madness. It’s a story about shame. About the places inside us we never show. About the moments when we knew we should’ve spoken — and stayed silent. About guilt that doesn’t scream but stays behind your eyes. About the fear of being seen. And the deeper fear that no one ever will.
And it’s also about remaining. About staying — after everything, no one else does.
Not to explain.
Not to redeem.
But simply to be. Quietly. Fully. Human.
If something in this story speaks to you — if it touches your own silence, or the name you forgot how to say — please consider leaving a review.
Stories like this don’t travel fast. They sit on shelves, waiting for someone who knows what it means to still be here.
Thank you for reading.
And for staying.
Between I and I is not a typical psychological novel.
It is a story about childhood trauma that never healed — only buried itself deeper.
About silence that grew into structure.
About fear that split into names.
About a boy who learned too early that being seen can be dangerous — and grew up dividing himself to survive.
It is also about a man who was never just one.
About the voices inside us that protect, distort, and, sometimes, save us.
Thomas Elai Grayson is a quiet library worker. He knows how to organize memory. How to smile at the right moment. How to disappear without leaving. But when Iris — the only person who ever truly saw him — vanishes, something inside begins to crack. Not loudly. Quietly, like a step in the wrong direction.
Inside Thomas live three parts.
Adam — rational, cold, composed. He sees patterns where others see pain.
Martha — gentle, watchful, empathetic. Her voice sounds like the kind you forget you need until it speaks.
The Shadow — a child. Frightened. Confused. Silent, not because he has nothing to say, but because he learned too early that saying anything could be dangerous.
The story unfolds in voices, in memory fragments, in pages and messages that were never sent. You will not be led — you will be allowed in. And maybe you’ll recognize something not about Thomas, but about yourself.
Because this is not a story about madness. It’s a story about shame. About the places inside us we never show. About the moments when we knew we should’ve spoken — and stayed silent. About guilt that doesn’t scream but stays behind your eyes. About the fear of being seen. And the deeper fear that no one ever will.
And it’s also about remaining. About staying — after everything, no one else does.
Not to explain.
Not to redeem.
But simply to be. Quietly. Fully. Human.
If something in this story speaks to you — if it touches your own silence, or the name you forgot how to say — please consider leaving a review.
Stories like this don’t travel fast. They sit on shelves, waiting for someone who knows what it means to still be here.
Thank you for reading.
And for staying.
187 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 9, 2025
1 person want to read
About the author
Rellim Aglo
8 books7 followersI have always loved traveling.
Over the years, I have wandered through many countries, cities, and winding roads — each one leaving a quiet light within me.
Recently, I felt a new kind of calling: not just to explore the world around me, but the worlds within.
That's when I began writing.
Like with real journeys, I don't want to walk only one road.
I write across genres, exploring different directions, voices, and horizons.
I believe that every story is a discovery — a glimpse into another part of the world, and another part of ourselves.
Yes, in America specialization is valued — "Pick your niche and master it."
But I am Russian by soul — and my spirit craves the freedom to express itself in many ways, to live fully and to tell many kinds of stories.
Each book I create is a new journey — inner and outer.
And I invite you to walk these roads with me, one story at a time.
Welcome to my world of words — a world where every journey begins with a single step: the desire to see more.
Over the years, I have wandered through many countries, cities, and winding roads — each one leaving a quiet light within me.
Recently, I felt a new kind of calling: not just to explore the world around me, but the worlds within.
That's when I began writing.
Like with real journeys, I don't want to walk only one road.
I write across genres, exploring different directions, voices, and horizons.
I believe that every story is a discovery — a glimpse into another part of the world, and another part of ourselves.
Yes, in America specialization is valued — "Pick your niche and master it."
But I am Russian by soul — and my spirit craves the freedom to express itself in many ways, to live fully and to tell many kinds of stories.
Each book I create is a new journey — inner and outer.
And I invite you to walk these roads with me, one story at a time.
Welcome to my world of words — a world where every journey begins with a single step: the desire to see more.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 5, 2025
"Between I and I" penned by the author Rellim Aglo is a gripping read. The main character of the story is Thomas Elai Grayson, a quiet library worker. When Iris disappeared, he changed. The author has written Thomas' character in three voices:
1) Adam - When Iris left, twenty minutes later an entry was recorded . It's an entry of someone who came in. Iris's words from the day before made Adam pause:
“Do you ever dream that there’s someone else inside you?
Like… you’re not the only one?”
I loved his calm and steady voice that didn't shake.
2) Martha - She also could listen to the inner voice asking the question below. It's the same spoken by Iris earlier -
“Have you ever felt like someone else is living inside you?
Not a stranger. You— but different.”
Marsha's voice is empathetic. Her words let Thomas breathe.
3) Shadow - He feels like someone is standing inside next to him. He loves the feeling when she sees him as a normal being. He is confused and silent.
This is a thought provoking read. This book will make you realize how others might be living inside us. This book helped me to connect better with myself. It gave me clarity and a peaceful mind. This is a wonderful story about remaining. The pages of this book would help you to realize many things. I recommend this book to avid readers only.
1) Adam - When Iris left, twenty minutes later an entry was recorded . It's an entry of someone who came in. Iris's words from the day before made Adam pause:
“Do you ever dream that there’s someone else inside you?
Like… you’re not the only one?”
I loved his calm and steady voice that didn't shake.
2) Martha - She also could listen to the inner voice asking the question below. It's the same spoken by Iris earlier -
“Have you ever felt like someone else is living inside you?
Not a stranger. You— but different.”
Marsha's voice is empathetic. Her words let Thomas breathe.
3) Shadow - He feels like someone is standing inside next to him. He loves the feeling when she sees him as a normal being. He is confused and silent.
This is a thought provoking read. This book will make you realize how others might be living inside us. This book helped me to connect better with myself. It gave me clarity and a peaceful mind. This is a wonderful story about remaining. The pages of this book would help you to realize many things. I recommend this book to avid readers only.
April 21, 2025
This story is about what can start in childhood — with resentment, loneliness, pain that no one noticed.
About how a whole inner world can grow from one emotional wound — with voices, fears, and other people's names.
When you read, at first you sympathize, then you get afraid.
Because you understand: such people live nearby.
They may seem quiet, strange, withdrawn.
And inside them — pain. Sometimes — rage. Sometimes — emptiness.
And if this emptiness breaks through… They can kill. Offend. Disappear. But most often — they themselves suffer.
We are afraid of them. And they are afraid of us.
This book is about how easy it is not to notice.
How easy it is to break. And how painful it is to live with it later.
And a very subtle fear — not of a monster, but of a person who one day ceased to be himself.
But it all started with the fact that no one heard him in time.
About how a whole inner world can grow from one emotional wound — with voices, fears, and other people's names.
When you read, at first you sympathize, then you get afraid.
Because you understand: such people live nearby.
They may seem quiet, strange, withdrawn.
And inside them — pain. Sometimes — rage. Sometimes — emptiness.
And if this emptiness breaks through… They can kill. Offend. Disappear. But most often — they themselves suffer.
We are afraid of them. And they are afraid of us.
This book is about how easy it is not to notice.
How easy it is to break. And how painful it is to live with it later.
And a very subtle fear — not of a monster, but of a person who one day ceased to be himself.
But it all started with the fact that no one heard him in time.
September 3, 2025
The degree to which I could identify with some of this book's themes is unnerving. I got chills from the Shadow's voice in particular; it's broken, gentle, and honest in ways that are too personal to be comfortable. There were times when I wanted to stop reading, but I had to hear what happened next. Rellim Aglo's writing is gifted in that he makes you feel as though you are a part of the story rather than merely telling it. The greatest compliment I can give any book, in my opinion, is that I left feeling seen.
April 21, 2025
After reading this book, I really started to think.
Because they live among us — and there are many like them.
I agree with the author: we often just don’t want to see, and we don’t stop to think.
This story doesn’t shout — but it makes you think.
After it, you want to be quieter.
Thank you for a book that doesn’t explain but lets you feel.
Because they live among us — and there are many like them.
I agree with the author: we often just don’t want to see, and we don’t stop to think.
This story doesn’t shout — but it makes you think.
After it, you want to be quieter.
Thank you for a book that doesn’t explain but lets you feel.
September 2, 2025
This book messed with my mind in the best way possible. Streets that disappear, cameras that record things that can't happen, and voices that sound like your own but older made me feel like I was both dreaming and awake at the same time. Rellim Aglo's writing is sharp, poetic, and will stay with you.
September 2, 2025
I don't typically read books like this, but Between I and I blew me away. The spooky setting, the jumbled timelines, and the way Iris's absence affects Adam, Martha, and Thomas made me shiver. Although it's eerie, the writing is so exquisite that I found it impossible to put down.
September 2, 2025
Perusing In between It made me think of being in a silent room where everything seems alive, including memories, grief, and something that is just out of reach. I adored how the book forced me to consider the selves we conceal.
September 2, 2025
To be honest, this book made me feel a little sad. Thomas's closet scenes from his early years resonated with me, and the Shadow's voice sounded familiar to me. It was painful, to be sure, but it also made me feel like someone had finally put those emotions into words.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews