ANOKA
In Minnesota, there is a small indigenous town named Anoka. It is said to be the Halloween capital of the world where Halloween parades take place, witches, and folklore of malevolent forces are told. Shane Hawk’s prologue was amazing. It explained much of the reason behind his short story collection as it relates to his ancestral Native American roots and upbringing. I enjoyed this collection very much as it comprised of six- short, indigenous horror stories that I ate up all in one sitting! The after notes for each story were quite insightful and interesting to read as they explained each story and the reasons, he wrote it. This entire read was creepy, shocking, full of imagery, and even awareness, as it brought to light many issues that plague the indigenous community as far as alcoholism, addiction, and domestic violence.
I thank the bookstagram community for always introducing us to indie authors and glad I was able to pick up this collection after seeing this book on my feed! When indigenous folktales and horror go hand in hand, you can’t go wrong! I was certainly not disappointed. I hope to read more from Shane Hawk in the future! (Sidenote/Plug: Shane Hawk is really cool guy!!)
