The Trauma Cleaner

(Paperback)

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Description

A poignant and powerful celebration of one remarkable woman's unrelenting drive to make order from chaos. Before she was a trauma cleaner, Sandra Pankhurst was many things- husband and father, drag queen, gender reassignment patient, sex worker, small businesswoman, trophy wife . . . But as a little boy, raised in violence and excluded from the family home, she just wanted to belong. Now she believes her clients deserve no less. A woman who sleeps among garbage she has not put out for forty years. A man who bled quietly to death in his loungeroom. A woman who lives with rats, random debris and terrified delusion. The still life of a home vacated by accidental overdose. Sarah Krasnostein has watched the extraordinary Sandra Pankhurst bring order and care to these, the living and the dead - and the book she has written is equally extraordinary. Not just the compelling story of a fascinating life among lives of desperation, but an affirmation that, as isolated as we may feel, we are all in this together.

Reviews

Written with sensitivity, insight and warmthKrasnostein has pieced together a compelling history through careful research and interviews.The Trauma Cleaneris no ordinary trauma narrative: we see how the infliction of multiple traumas has left this fascinating woman uniquely placed to restore order among the despair of others, and it is with similar care that Krasnostein has produced this book. * Books+Publishing *
AmazingI couldnt put this book down, and I cant wait to recommend it to everyone I know. * Readings *
Superbly sensitiveA truly unusual biography which is both confronting and edifying. * Toowoomba Chronicle *
Within the pages ofThe Trauma CleanerKrasnostein has given us an extraordinary gift of humanity, life, and determination while carefully guiding us through the unspeakable conditions in which people find themselves in the face of trauma. Through sublime writing, Sarah Krasnostein expertly renders an unforgettable portrait of Sandra, one of the most compelling people I have ever read. I found myself constantly walking the line between frustration and utter love for this woman and I havent been able to stop thinking about her and the life she has lived. Krasnostein is a master storyteller of creative non-fiction and I am in awe. * Sarah Schmidt, author ofSee What I Have Done *
An extraordinary life story superbly retold. * Tim Gott, Devonport Bookshop *
A truly remarkable story. * Joan Mackenzie, Whitcoulls *
The most original non-fiction book of the yearWritten with warmth, humour and sensitivity,The Trauma Cleaneris utterly fascinating. * Page & Blackmore Booksellers *
Krasnosteins playful yet heartfelt debut is one of the most arresting works of biography you will read in a long time. * The Guardian *
Krasnostein is an astute observer of human nature and her understated yet elegant prose is reminiscent of Helen Garner. * Readings *
Krasnostein has done a clean-up of her own, untangling the narrative behind Pankhursts own cluttered memoriesShe lets Pankhursts courage,humanity and sheer decency shinethrough. Its a fascinating read. * SA Weekend *
Surely the most original non-fiction book of the yearWritten with warmth, humour and sensitivity, The Trauma Cleaner is utterly fascinating. * Page & Blackmore NZ *
A wondrous portrait of an inspiring character. * Saturday Paper *
Sandra Pankursts life is a Netflix series waiting to happenKrasnostein is a marvelous, sympathetic observer and narratorLove, love, love this book. * Sun Bookshop *
[Pankursts] story is probably one of the most touching, thoughtful and thought-provoking you will ever readSarah Krasnostein tells it with moving compassion, even love.
* New Zealand Herald *
An anomalous, indelible treasureKrasnostein allows Sandras story room to breathe and expand, to quietly but confidently stake its claim to the readers heart.
* Kill Your Darlings *
[Sandra] is one of the most extraordinary characters you will ever find in a work of non-fictionThe Trauma Cleaneris a disturbing and fascinating read with a heavy, beating heart at its centre[Krasnostein] shows how a writer can empathise and engage with a subject yet still paint a realistic portrait. * Australian *
[Pankursts] story is probably one of the most touching, thoughtful and thought-provoking you will ever readSarah Krasnostein tells it with movingcompassion, even love. * New Zealand Herald *
Krasnostein creates a humane portrait of a woman who has somehow found fertile ground in the mess of life. A brutal, heartbreaking and utterly moving story of survival and a quiet kind of triumph. * Better Reading *
An extraordinarily impressive debut, in terms of both quality of writing and treatment of the subject matterKrasnostein handles her material with respect, grace and compassion. * Sydney Morning Herald *
Sarah Krasnostein does a marvellous job of illuminating Sandra Pankhurst the personits the vignettes of Pankhursts early life and upbringing in Melbourne, interspersed throughout the book, that make for compelling reading. * Readings Best Non-Fiction 2017 *
Compelling reading...This book reads like an unabashed love letter to Pankhurst with the first-time author, embedded for years in her subjects life, effusive in her adoration. * Courier-Mail *
Compelling, compassionate, questioning and fascinating enough for at least four sequelsthe reasons you finishing reading may not be the reasons you started. Stunning. * Fullers Bookshop *
A superbly written book about the re-doutbable Sandra Pankhurst and her work as a trauma cleanerThis is the startling life story of Pankhurst, a trans woman with a heart the size of Uluru, written in Krasnosteins irresistibly warm, frank, intelligent voice as she describes sites of sadness and horror that take the reader straight to the dark heart of the human condition. * Kerryn Goldsworthy, Best Books of 2017,Australian Book Review *
This is a book which resists the temptation to fill in the gaps. In that sense, it enacts trauma itself. Krasnostein doesnt try and insist that all the details of these complex lives add up she merely describes them vividly, lovingly and respectfully to make a single statement: this is a life. * Judges Report, Victorian Premiers Literary Awards, 2018 *
One of the strangest, most fascinating books Ive read, and a standout of the year. Krasnosteins command of language is exquisite, and the complexity of Sandra Pankhursts life story unfolds seamlessly with the current-day narrative of her unique business and the people she meets with it.
* Feminist Writers Festival, Favourite Reads of 2017 *
The Trauma Cleanerpays tribute to a person who's an absolute life force even among the death and decay and squalor and stench that she works in every day and the crushing difficulties of her own past. And it's a story told more beautifully than you can possibly imagine. * Radio National,2017s Best Summer Reads *
The Trauma Cleanerby Sarah Krasnostein is hard to describe, but will delight anyone who reads it it is that goodThe stories of the hoarders and Sandras compassion when dealing with them that will have you transfixed. Promise. * InDaily *
Deep empathy for complex individualsExplore[s] the best and worst of who we are. * Graeme Simsion,Sydney Morning Heralds Year in Reading 2017 *
The remarkable story of super cleaner Sandra Pankhurst who cleans up crimes and squalor with rare compassion and kindness.
* Adelaide Advertiser, Favourite Books of the Year *
Deeply movingThe book reads as a love letter from Krasnostein to SandraI treasured every word. -- Sofie Laguna * Australian Womens Weekly *
A book that is as hard to read as it is hard to put down. A story of pain and loss and loneliness, of trauma and transformations and sassy humour. And cleaning...It is a hilarious and poignant tale of a woman who defies all labels...Krasnostein is a very fine writer. Her debut book is a compelling and honest story of human survival, and love. -- Janet Albrechtsen * Australian *
Sarah Krasnostein has written the story of her friend Sandra in a respectful way, detailing every reinvention Sandra made in her personal and professional endeavours. Readers will find Sandras story emotional, shocking and triumphant. It is the true story of a remarkable and resilient human being. * Good Reading *
Sarah Krasnosteins writing is warm and curious. And, carefully, it draws a portrait of Pankhurst youll remember long after youve finished readinga woman who is quietly, wonderfully triumphant while standing at the middle and centre of despair. * Pool UK *
[A] one-of-a-kind biography. * Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review Summer Reading Guide *
Through countless encounters with the fetid, the neglected, and the downright tragic, Pankhurst has found meaning and peace, and [author] Krasnostein a singular subject whom she approaches with well-deserved awe. * Booklist(starred review) *
Intriguing...A complex protagonist makes for engaging material. * Publishers Weekly *
A monumental biography of a singular and unforgettable woman. * Guardian *

Author Bio

Sarah Krasnostein is a writer and a legal researcher with a doctorate in criminal law. She was born in America, studied in Melbourne and has lived and worked in both countries. Her first book, The Trauma Cleaner, won the Victorian Prize for Literature and the Prize for Non-Fiction in the 2018 Victorian Premier's Literary Awards as well as the Australian Book Industry Award for General Non-Fiction. Sarah lives in Melbourne and spends part of the year working in New York City.