Wonderful collection of short stories, each as long as it needs to be. Complex characters dealing with heavy issues and the restrictions of culture. I think this came to the list in a flood of Appalachia/rural America recommendations, and it's by far my pick of that particular litter. ( )

F*ckface is a collection of stories from the Appalachian area. I came out of that area. It’s coal mining country. My daddy escaped that by way of the Army then a move to the northwest, Chicago. Our family though stayed with our roots in a Southeast Kentucky hollar. It’s where my heart calls home and my body hopes to lie at rest one day. Many of the stories in this collection were familiar to me though I had never read or heard them before. Some of the stories will break your heart. Parkway did mine. No one thinks about how park rangers come across dead bodies as part of their job. Accidents happen and so does murder. Parks are the closest to heaven you can get in my opinion. I think it’s for this reason suicide happens, too. I could see how the rangers find them. Parkway is the story of a ranger who finds several and how it affects him. Twitchell is another that touched me hard. I’ve had the breast cancer testing Iva goes through for a like reason. We all know the devastation that factories and mines leave on the mountains and with the people. Other stories are humorous but most had elements of both. Leah Hampton writes with the honesty that is common in Appalachia. Her stories reflect that making them a realistic portrait of the area and the people. I loved reading this book. It took me home. I recommend it to people who enjoy short story collections, who want to know of or enjoy the Appalachian area and those who like reality in their reading.
Edited to include the following:
The author and I share a last name. I have never met her and do not believe we are related.
I won a print copy of this book through a Goodreads Giveaway. My review is voluntary and based on my thoughts and feelings about the book. ( )

An excellent collection of short stories, most focused on small-town Appalachian life, and the struggles to make a living, find a purpose, and make connections. Not all stories worked for me (the title story, for instance, resonated with me the least), but when they work, wow, they are stunners. The final few in the collection are especially emotional gut-punches. Highly recommended. ( )

Once again, Ouch! The viewpoint characters in these stories are a little too large for the narrow and decaying world they inhabit or at least don't quite fit in circumstances that are relentless even on those who do fit. Almost every story is judged to end just when more can not be borne. ( )

2020 has been a year of short story collections for me and I am not mad about it! This stellar collection didn't have one dud in it! Set in Appalachia, the stories touch on a myriad of subjects; roadkill, Dollyworld, high school reunions, corpses, forest fires, extra-marital affairs, and honey-bees to name a few. Each story is unique and packs a punch. This is a collection I will definitely return to. It's rough, uncouth, witty, and will stick in reader's minds like gum on a shoe. ( )