Synopsis:
Welcome to Anoka, Minnesota, a small city just outside of the Twin Cities dubbed “The Halloween Capital of the World” since 1937. Here before you lie several tales involving bone collectors, pagan witches, werewolves, skeletal bison, and cloned children. It is up to you to decipher between fact and fiction as the author has woven historical facts into his narratives. With his debut horror collection, Cheyenne & Arapaho author Shane Hawk explores themes of family, grief, loneliness, and identity through the lens of indigenous life.
My Thoughts:
The Stories:
Introduction
Hawk tells us a little bit about Anoka. Why it’s the Halloween Capital of the World, for example. My grandmother lived in Anoka, and I spent a lot of time there when I was a kid, and I still didn’t know any of what he shared here.
Soilborne
A couple hope their new baby’s first words will be “the right ones.” This was a disturbing and beautiful story.
Wounded
A man battles a life mired in grief – and then he finds a strange and terrible book.
Orange
A man thinks back on what got him where he is. I know this is exceedingly vague, but there’s not much to be done about that. It’s a really powerful, very short story though.
Imitate
Something sinister is impersonating Dak’s son Tate. Man, this one really kinda fucked me up.
Dead America
A man is suffering during the night for what he does in the day. You know you want to read this based on the power of that title alone.
Transfigured
A woman who once crossed a witch is cursed to become werewolf by night. But she’s not a monster at all. This one hits a lot of marks for me – identity politics, the Great Snowstorm of ’91, charity, Mille Lacs (I lived up around there for a time as a teen, and some of my family still does).
Story Notes
I am so grateful that these were included. I gained a lot of insight into the stories, and into Hawk’s writing style by reading the notes after finishing each story.
About the Author:
Shane Hawk is an emerging indigenous writer of dark fiction. Hawk received a BA in history from California State University San Marcos as well as a single-subject credential for both social science and English. When he’s not working with students or writing fiction, he enjoys the outdoors, photography, making music, and watching classic ’80s movies—all with his fiancée, Victoria Fletcher.
Rating:
Shane Hawk has asserted himself as someone to watch. He has an incredible talent for shortform storytelling. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for him (I hope it involves some novels)!
Anoka By Shane Hawk Black Hills Press Published: October 26, 2020 ISBN: 9798674225195 Paperback, E-book, Audio 140 Pages Author's Website
