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U Want It Darker
A true artist transforms suffering into beauty. But sometimes, all you've got is the suffering. . .
U Want It Darker is a bold and darkly humorous short story collection about artists struggling with their egos, facing their failures and redeeming their bad behaviour.
With each exhilarating tale, Murray Middleton draws us deeper into the absurdities of creative life, inhabiting dingy painters' studios, anarchic movie sets, depraved pizza restaurants and grimy comedy clubs, as he tries not to plunge into the abyss himself.
Daring, original and shot through with pathos, these stories are a gulp of fresh air from a Vogel Award-winning literary talent.
Praise for U Want it Darker
'Beautifully observed through an idiosyncratic and witty lens, these stories are beguilingly strange and deeply human adventures into the getting of wisdom.' - JOANNA MURRAY-SMITH
'The odds are so stacked against any creative work that it's a wonder this book exists at all. Middleton's portraits of struggling artists are uncomfortably familiar, bitterly funny, and cut with honest truth.' - JENNIFER MILLS
U Want It Darker is a bold and darkly humorous short story collection about artists struggling with their egos, facing their failures and redeeming their bad behaviour.
With each exhilarating tale, Murray Middleton draws us deeper into the absurdities of creative life, inhabiting dingy painters' studios, anarchic movie sets, depraved pizza restaurants and grimy comedy clubs, as he tries not to plunge into the abyss himself.
Daring, original and shot through with pathos, these stories are a gulp of fresh air from a Vogel Award-winning literary talent.
Praise for U Want it Darker
'Beautifully observed through an idiosyncratic and witty lens, these stories are beguilingly strange and deeply human adventures into the getting of wisdom.' - JOANNA MURRAY-SMITH
'The odds are so stacked against any creative work that it's a wonder this book exists at all. Middleton's portraits of struggling artists are uncomfortably familiar, bitterly funny, and cut with honest truth.' - JENNIFER MILLS
- GenresShort Stories
246 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 29, 2025
8 people are currently reading
103 people want to read
About the author
Murray Middleton
3 books11 followersMurray Middleton was born with fractured hips in 1983. He spent the first three months of his life in plaster and has broken most bones since.
He won The Age Short Story Award in 2010 with ‘The Fields of Early Sorrow’. When There’s Nowhere Else to Run is his first published collection of short stories.
He currently lives in Melbourne and won’t publish a second collection of stories until the Saints win a second premiership.
He won The Age Short Story Award in 2010 with ‘The Fields of Early Sorrow’. When There’s Nowhere Else to Run is his first published collection of short stories.
He currently lives in Melbourne and won’t publish a second collection of stories until the Saints win a second premiership.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 17, 2026
U Want It Darker is a short story collection by Murray Middleton, the author of the powerful novel No Church in the Wild. I found it entertaining and thought provoking, though perhaps not always as meaningful as Middleton might have hoped.
This is a single author collection of nine stories, all on the theme of artists of various kinds suffering for their art. These make sense together thematically, without being so similar that they become boring. Middleton considers a wide range of artists, including writers, actors, painters, and dancers.
All of the central characters appear to have some degree of talent and competence, but their degree of success is variable – and usually pretty low. Middleton explores what they have given up in service of their dream of a creative life.
You don’t have to be particularly creative yourself to appreciate these stories. They’re stories of striving, failure, and success, and most people will be able to empathise with them. They do tend to focus on some of the sacrifices that are particularly associated with struggling artists: lack of money, and lack of understanding from people not in their industry.
Most of the characters are quite “ordinary”, making their challenges and choices particularly relatable. We get an insight into their thoughts and feelings as well as their lifestyle. There’s a range of characters here, and all are strongly portrayed.
Middleton’s most recent novel was layered and very thought provoking, and often confronting. These stories are softer, and the compressed space means that there is a little less to explore. However, they still pack a punch, and most readers will find one or more which leaves them ruminating for some time after they’ve finished it.
With short story collections I often prefer to read them slowly, over a period of weeks, spacing the stories out, rather than reading them in one go. This particular collection lends itself to either style of reading: spreading them out gives you more time to think about and absorb them individually, but there’s enough variety in the stories that it’s not repetitive to read them all together.
I found these very digestible, but also worth thinking about. I appreciated the stories, without ever finding them compelling. They’re well written, carefully honed, and each has a clear point. It’s a solid collection, and well worth your time.
You may be interested in my review of a novel by Murray Middleton:
http://otherdreamsotherlives.home.blo...
This is a single author collection of nine stories, all on the theme of artists of various kinds suffering for their art. These make sense together thematically, without being so similar that they become boring. Middleton considers a wide range of artists, including writers, actors, painters, and dancers.
All of the central characters appear to have some degree of talent and competence, but their degree of success is variable – and usually pretty low. Middleton explores what they have given up in service of their dream of a creative life.
You don’t have to be particularly creative yourself to appreciate these stories. They’re stories of striving, failure, and success, and most people will be able to empathise with them. They do tend to focus on some of the sacrifices that are particularly associated with struggling artists: lack of money, and lack of understanding from people not in their industry.
Most of the characters are quite “ordinary”, making their challenges and choices particularly relatable. We get an insight into their thoughts and feelings as well as their lifestyle. There’s a range of characters here, and all are strongly portrayed.
Middleton’s most recent novel was layered and very thought provoking, and often confronting. These stories are softer, and the compressed space means that there is a little less to explore. However, they still pack a punch, and most readers will find one or more which leaves them ruminating for some time after they’ve finished it.
With short story collections I often prefer to read them slowly, over a period of weeks, spacing the stories out, rather than reading them in one go. This particular collection lends itself to either style of reading: spreading them out gives you more time to think about and absorb them individually, but there’s enough variety in the stories that it’s not repetitive to read them all together.
I found these very digestible, but also worth thinking about. I appreciated the stories, without ever finding them compelling. They’re well written, carefully honed, and each has a clear point. It’s a solid collection, and well worth your time.
You may be interested in my review of a novel by Murray Middleton:
http://otherdreamsotherlives.home.blo...
October 11, 2025
I enjoyed this collection, particularly the character writing and natural tone of the stories. I also appreciated the variations in form, which kept things fresh. I think the first half is stronger than the second - the opening story 'Warm Love' is probably my favourite - but there aren't any 'bad' stories.
I wouldn't call this collection 'comedic' or 'exhilarating' - more quiet, grounded and contemplative. Middleton explores the themes of disappointment and failure, of artistic urges never fulfilled and dreams never reached, with empathy and pathos. Would recommend.
I wouldn't call this collection 'comedic' or 'exhilarating' - more quiet, grounded and contemplative. Middleton explores the themes of disappointment and failure, of artistic urges never fulfilled and dreams never reached, with empathy and pathos. Would recommend.
September 26, 2025
Two and a half stars.I heard MM spruiking this on the radio and thought this was something for me, having known quite a few artist friends in such despair that it lead to suicide and mental institutions...so I was rather disappointed...most of these stories are more about basic failure and perceived underachievement .. I quite liked the clipped form of some of the stories; a bit prose poemish...but artists in real despair?...really?..meh.
PS Hate the cover
PS Hate the cover
November 29, 2025
In u want it darker, struggling artists are let loose in an interesting compilation of short stories.
I really enjoyed the variety of stories and the characters within them. The realness came through strongly.
The book cover definitely raised some eyebrows when reading it in the train. In my opinion it didn’t do the stories any favours.
I really enjoyed the variety of stories and the characters within them. The realness came through strongly.
The book cover definitely raised some eyebrows when reading it in the train. In my opinion it didn’t do the stories any favours.
January 15, 2026
I appreciated the different forms of storytelling that this collection presented. 'How Cannibals Exist' was by far my favourite. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed 'House with White Fence' as I have never read a short story in the form of restaurant reviews before! A few of the stories fell flat for me unfortunately, and left me wanting a more thoughtful conclusion.
January 12, 2026
Struggled to read this being from Melbourne and living here - something felt very try hard about it all
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews