F*ckface by Leah Hampton⁠

I received a gifted copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

✨Book Review✨⁠
F*ckface by Leah Hampton⁠
(7.14.20 from Henry Holt Books)⁠
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This book caught my eye because I loved the title, and then when I read the summary (twelve short stories about rurality, corpses, honeybee collapse, and illicit sex in post-coal Appalachia)I knew I had to request it because I love edgy stories and rural/Appalachian noir. Leah Hampton can capture a setting and connect readers to a character very well, but the essays have open-ended "conclusions". This style of writing is unsettling to me, but I am sure that is what the author intended. I recommend this to readers seeking a glimpse into the lives of men and women living in modern day Appalachia or readers wanting realistic stories about daily human emotions and experiences. As a debut collection, F*ckface is impressive. I will be reading whatever Leah Hampton writes next.⁠
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Publisher's Summary:⁠
The twelve stories in this knockout collection—some comedic, some tragic, many both at once—examine the interdependence between rural denizens and their environment.⁠
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A young girl, desperate for a way out of her small town, finds support in an unlikely place. A ranger working along the Blue Ridge Parkway realizes that the dark side of the job, the all too frequent discovery of dead bodies, has taken its toll on her. Haunted by his past, and his future, a tech sergeant reluctantly spends a night with his estranged parents before being deployed to Afghanistan. Nearing fifty and facing new medical problems, a woman wonders if her short stint at the local chemical plant is to blame. A woman takes her husband’s research partner on a day trip to her favorite place on earth, Dollywood, and briefly imagines a different life.⁠
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In the vein of Bonnie Jo Campbell and Lee Smith, Leah Hampton writes poignantly and honestly about a legendary place that’s rapidly changing. She takes us deep inside the lives of the women and men of Appalachia while navigating the realities of modern life with wit, bite, and heart.