Four Men in Search of Connection

In his novel “A Smile with a Future,” Paul Senftenberg introduces four men whose lives initially seem only loosely connected. Over time, their stories weave together into a moving portrait of love, loneliness, loss, and the longing to find a place in life.

Hans is a bank clerk in his mid-fifties who courageously embraces his sexuality only later in life. His son Andreas, who works for the Red Cross, reacts with hurtful rejection. Marek, a young escort, searches desperately for a photograph of his parents, who perished in a fire. Rami, a refugee from Syria, struggles to reconcile the trauma of his past with the rules of a world that feels alien to him.

Paths of Lives Converging More and More

All four search for closeness and a sense of belonging. Their paths intersect more and more, ultimately culminating in a cold winter night when nothing can remain as it was before.

“A Smile with a Future” is more than a conventional romance. Senftenberg offers a meditation on self-discovery later in life, queer identity, loneliness, migration, and the ache of loss. At the same time, it explores the deep human need for love and connection. The author treats his characters with sensitivity, without flinching from their flaws and the difficult sides of their humanity.

Other writers and reviewers have weighed in with praise for the novel. Mario Reinthaler described Senftenberg as weaving “four male destinies together in a touching way” in Xtra!. Author Jana Walther called the book “written at a high level and full of warmth.” Little Kunoichi praised it as a “wonderfully intense narrative” and a “great reading experience.”

The novel first appeared in 2017 from Himmelstürmer Verlag. After Senftenberg had already reissued his title “Damals ist vorbei” in July, a revised hardcover edition of “A Smile with a Future” is now available (Amazon affiliate link). The cover draws on the portrait “Between Thought And Dream” by the American painter Richard Stabbert.

Paul Senftenberg is the pseudonym of a Lower Austrian author who writes about queer subject matter. His novels explore the journey of self-discovery for gay youths and men who feel trapped between heteronormative pressures and their true identities. Film references also play an important role in his stories.