This is an impressive debut collection of Indigenous horror stories by Shane Hawk, set within the titular Minnesotan town of Anoka.
The tales, which vary in length from 2 pages to more expansive pieces, take in cursed books, creepy doppelgänger kids and werewolves among other things. All the while, Hawk gives us indigenous characters dealing with the collision of tradition, history and modernity.
Hawk crafts a nice line in rural Americana from a Native perspective, spinning stories that feel lived in & realistic. My only complaint is the collection feels too brief and could’ve used another story or two. I would like to have gotten a greater sense of the town of Anoka and why these supernatural happenings are centered there.
Still, it’s a great debut and I eagerly await whatever Hawke comes up with next.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️