非文學類(回憶錄)
更新日期:
2013-08-15
Coming Clean: A Memoir
Kimberly Rae Miller
New Harvest
July 2013
272pp
書籍編號:
03-2019
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● 內文簡介

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金柏麗擁有亮眼的事業成就,貼心呵護的男友,位於曼哈頓上西區的精緻小公寓,總是將生活打理得有條不紊。你絕對很難想像,這樣的她曾夜夜為強迫清掃的惡夢糾纏,迫使她面對那個難以啟齒的秘密:她是個在垃圾堆中長大的女孩。

金柏麗與父母在長島的家看似與一般中產階級住宅無異,然而永遠緊閉的門窗背後,卻到處是堆積如山的舊報紙、壞掉的電腦電器、一箱箱不斷增生的雜物,這些被通稱為「紙片」的垃圾兀自發霉發臭,佔據了所有生活空間,每個人只能棲身在各自的小角落,普通的走動都如跋涉過沼澤般舉步維艱。

這些,是她父親與囤積症(hoarding)無止盡的痛苦掙扎的產物。

在這部動人的回憶錄裡,金柏麗誠摯而生動地描繪出一個雜亂不堪、蟲鼠橫行的家,以及為了隱藏父親不可告人的秘密而精疲力竭的成長歷程。金柏麗的父親其實聰穎過人,熱中求知,但囤積毛病使他不得不辭去白領工作,只能擔任公車司機,也讓他的家陷入失控的垃圾災難。他們從來無法邀請朋友到家裡;堆積的物品多到讓車庫門關不起來;曾經,熱水器故障無法修繕,全家過著一星期去健身房洗澡一次的生活;甚至有流浪漢偷偷在他們閣樓生活竟無人察覺。

門裡門外,他們儼然是兩家人。出了家門,他們談笑風生,親密無間,回到家裡則爭吵不斷,陷入羞恥與被揭發的恐懼。一次,因為害怕遭鄰居舉報訪查,母親毅然決然把金柏麗最心愛的狗送到收容所,引爆了金柏麗長年累積的情緒壓力,在心碎中自殺未遂。然而本書令人動容之處在於,作者並未將自己的家塑造成聳動的奇觀,也不尖刻控訴,而是在每段令人難以置信的掙扎與衝突中,以優美的散文娓娓道出與父母親複雜但充滿著愛的關係,突顯出家人之間的羈絆如何在這不尋常的困境中越深厚、越堅定,從不放棄尋找出路。

《Coming Clean》是一段坦誠動人的回望,作者正視自己的根源與深刻影響她的關係,訴說了一個在自己的家真正尋得平靜的故事。

 

● 作者簡介

Kimberly Rae Miller,紐約作家、演員。她關於飲食、運動、正面身體形象的文章曾刊載於Condé Nast出版集團旗下的Elastic Waist部落格、雅虎女性生活部落格Shine、Social Workout網站、《Figure》雜誌。此外,她為CBS廣播電台與紐約CBS撰寫紐約生活、名人新聞、購物等主題。2010年創意職涯指南《Creative Girl: The Ultimate Guide for Turning Talent and Creativity into a Real Career》收錄了她的故事。部落格:TheKimChallenge.com

 

● 媒體報導

“This searing tale of the damage caused by the disease reflects Miller's deep consideration of her experience; it is a deeply affecting, remarkably thoughtful, and well-reasoned book, yet the horror is always there. One can only admire Miller's courage in coming clean.”——Bridget Thoreson《書單》,星級書評

“…offers a uniquely nuanced look at her intelligent, loving, but broken father and the enduring effect his affliction has had on her and her long-suffering mother."——《娛樂週刊》

"Harrowing… As a child Miller realized her family wasn’t like other people’s families with tidy, presentable homes; far from it. Miller never invited anyone home and had to adopt a 'decoy' house to be dropped off at by friends… Stuff and unused purchases were piled so high that little room was left for the family even to eat or sleep or use the bathrooms."——《出版人週刊》

"Miller renders her harrowing account without self-pity, and her empathy for her parents, as well as her refusal to treat the hoarding as a spectacle, allow space for redemption—both theirs and her own."——《Elle》

"Harrowing. You root for [Kim], you root for [her parents], and at the end, you marvel at the capacity for human resilience."——《時人》雜誌

"An engrossing, sympathetic exploration of living with hoarder parents."——《科克斯評論》

"Astonishingly honest and heartfelt… Kimberly Rae Miller’s new memoir comes clean on how the reality of compulsive hoarding is very different from what we see on TV."——《The Daily Beast》

"Kimberly Rae Miller is a brave and gifted writer, and her insightful examination of her troubled relationship with her parents will speak to anyone who has every struggled to hide a family secret. Coming Clean is a standout coming-of-age memoir. A must read."——Kjerstin Gruys, author of Mirror, Mirror Off the Wall