Anoka – Shane Hawk

Expectation: An anthology of loosely connected stories all set in the Halloween Capital of the World.

Reality: The setting isn’t leveraged as much as anticipated (although there are a few nice winks for locals) but Shane Hawk showed promise with this somewhat even horror collection.

My Take:

This short story collection piqued my interest primarily because its title is a reference to Anoka, Minn., the self-proclaimed “Halloween Capital of the World” and a place I visited semi-frequently while living in the area. 

While debut author Shane Hawk offers the reader somewhat of a mixed bag, each of the six stories had interesting elements that showed he could follow in the footsteps of Stephen Graham Jones in delivering bone-chilling Indigenous horror. 

He just needs a little more time to hone his craft. From flash fiction to longer form, immersive narratives, the best way to describe “Anoka” is uneven yet entertaining. 

Two stories — “Wounded” and “ Transfigured” — stood out, delivering psychological horror mixed with classic elements (i.e. cursed items and monsters) that serve as proxies for Indigenous traumas both past and present. 

I was particularly fond of “Transfigured” which features a genderfluid werewolf, the 1991 Halloween blizzard and cannibal children. It’s the kind of unhinged idea that shouldn’t work but it absolutely did. 

However, what really got to me was Hawk himself. He took great care to ensure the reader understood his inspirations and motivations. It showed this was a labor of love — and a reclamation, in many ways — and I found that endearing. 

Rating (story): 3/5 stars

Rating (narration): N/A

Format: eBook (library loan)

Dates read: September 25 – October 7, 2023

Multi-tasking: N/A