Life of Stuff

Shortlisted for the James Tait Black biography prize 2019
'A moving memoir.' Sunday Times
'Gripped me from the first page.' Clover Stroud, author of My Wild and Sleepless Nights
'A gripping read... a riveting piece of writing.' Radio 4
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What do our possessions say about us? Why do we project such meaning onto them? What becomes of the things we leave behind?

Onlyafter her mother's death does Susannah Walker discover how much of ahoarder she had become. Over the following months, Susannah has to sortthrough a dilapidated house filled to the brim with rubbish andtreasures - filling bag after bag with possessions. But what she'sreally in search of is a woman she'd never really known or understood inlife. This is her last chance to piece together her mother's story andmake sense of their troubled relationship.

Whatemerges from the mess of scattered papers, discarded photographs and anextraordinary amount of stuff is the history of a sad and fracturedfamily, haunted by dead children, divorce and alcohol. The Life of Stuffis a deeply personal exploration of mourning and the shoring up ofpossessions against the losses and griefs of life, which also raisesuniversal questions about what makes us the people we are.
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'Compelling and moving.' Ruth Hogan

'An excellent memoir.' Cathy Rentzenbrink

Reviews

A touching memoir.