The Trauma Cleaner

By: Sarah Krasnostein

Narrated by: Rachael Tidd

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 40 years. A man who bled quietly to death in his living room. 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.

Winner of the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Literature.

Winner of the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Nonfiction.

©2018 Blackstone Publishing (P)2018 Sarah Krasnostein

the kindness we all need

It's mostly trauma, with some cleaning. And the trauma is mostly the protagonist's. There is heart-breaking suffering revealed in this book. And there is tremendous compassion, understanding, gentleness, strength of character, and so much grace in this book that it is truly a balm for the soul of the walking wounded in 2018 America.

Look, it's about trauma

The title was apt because it works on two levels: the heroine is a trauma cleaner for her job, and this biography demonstrates how she has "cleaned" or adapted to her own terrible trauma in a variety of incredible ways. It's about resilience, about the crazy unpredictable ways trauma can affect your life, and it's a study of how one woman dealt with her trauma in such a human, flawed and admirable way. Yes, it's graphic and heavy. I suspect that if you've experienced graphic, heavy trauma yourself that it won't be off putting but uplifting. That's just my take. I'm studying trauma and healing from it right now, and it was exactly the story I needed to hear. Thanks for putting it out there.

Good story!

I was pleasantly surprised at how good this was, meaningful. I recommend it highly to everyone.

Unwavering

This was a tough listen at times, as the subject's life was so incredibly difficult.

The book was written with such compassion, respect, and admiration for Sandra, that it kept me listening through the most difficult parts of the narrative.

Well done, Sarah, and well done, Sandra.

loved it!

This is an amazing story. I listened to it very quickly. The narrator is outstanding. I highly recommend this recording.