The Dark Dark by Samantha Hunt

3/5 stars

What's it about? In these haunting and witty tales, Samantha Hunt plays with the unexplainable: a woman transforming into a doe at night, falling in love with a weapon, and unwieldy clones as procreation.

How’d I find it? Every year, I place on my TBR the selections in Electric Lit’s 15 Best Short Story Collections, and at long last, I’m getting around to this pick from 2017.

Who will enjoy this book? If you liked Marie-Helene Bertino’s 2025 collection Exit Zero, you’ll want to read The Dark Dark.

What stood out? Standouts for me were the first and last stories, “The Story Of” and “The Story of Of,” in which a woman struggling with infertility replicates herself and faces the repercussions. The structure and playfulness were utterly charming, and the stories manage to deliver without the need to explain their magic. I also enjoyed the frantic mother in “A Love Story,” who made me giggle multiple times. For example…

Which line made me feel something? “It can be hard to tell with men, whether they are actually here or not. Especially a man with a smartphone.”