The Bible is many things... reducing it to "just a story" does not make me uncomfortable, it simply is wrong. However, as you point out one of the many things about the Bible is it tells a wonderful, amazing story. The Bible is also a theological book, a history book, a science book, and a book of laws.

That said, it was not written as a story book, history book, science book, law book, or even a complete theology book, people reading it may find sections that appear inconsistent with any of those labels.

Perhaps the best description is the Bible is a book of revelation. Reading the Bible helps to reveal, who God is. That revelation comes through in many ways. But the revelation is incomplete as the Bible says in different places. We simply cannot know God completely while inhabiting our human bodies and limited by our human brains.

But while 'incomplete" the revelation is enough for every human to begin their journey towards knowing God and having a relationship with God and as much as anything else, it prepares us to meet God someday, face to face.