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I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I first borrowed this from the Wellcome Library Reading Room. It was always going to be a wild ride though.
The Trauma Cleaner is a biography of a different kind. The author tells the enthralling and, often, utterly mad life story of Sandra Pankhurst. Sarah was raised as a boy in an abusive household, married, had children and then left the marriage to start dating men and finally to live her life the way she knew she was meant to. However this whole transformation was fraught with lack of funds, sex work, drugs, sexual assault, difficult relationships and her own illnesses.
Sadly this hardship has led to the part of the book I struggled with. Biographies are based on the human story behind them, the remembered events, sadly recalling events from her life can be hard for Sandra and this means that parts of the story are taken from other people’s recollection and that parts of Sandra’s own recollection cannot be fully trusted as pure fact. She is, essentially, an unreliable narrator.
However, this doesn’t make The Trauma Cleaner any less compelling or astounding a narrative of Sandra’s struggle to find happiness and contentment in her life and her work and her efforts to help others to be heard and cared for.
P.S. A poignant retelling of a life full of struggle, hardship and strength in the face of overwhelming pain. Fascinating and hopeful, this was a excellent read and while it wasn’t my favourite of the shortlist I’ll certainly remember it.
Read more of my reviews at booksibled.wordpress.com
The Trauma Cleaner is a biography of a different kind. The author tells the enthralling and, often, utterly mad life story of Sandra Pankhurst. Sarah was raised as a boy in an abusive household, married, had children and then left the marriage to start dating men and finally to live her life the way she knew she was meant to. However this whole transformation was fraught with lack of funds, sex work, drugs, sexual assault, difficult relationships and her own illnesses.
Sadly this hardship has led to the part of the book I struggled with. Biographies are based on the human story behind them, the remembered events, sadly recalling events from her life can be hard for Sandra and this means that parts of the story are taken from other people’s recollection and that parts of Sandra’s own recollection cannot be fully trusted as pure fact. She is, essentially, an unreliable narrator.
However, this doesn’t make The Trauma Cleaner any less compelling or astounding a narrative of Sandra’s struggle to find happiness and contentment in her life and her work and her efforts to help others to be heard and cared for.
P.S. A poignant retelling of a life full of struggle, hardship and strength in the face of overwhelming pain. Fascinating and hopeful, this was a excellent read and while it wasn’t my favourite of the shortlist I’ll certainly remember it.
Read more of my reviews at booksibled.wordpress.com