Krasnostein first encountered Sandra Pankhurst at a conference on forensic support services. Hoarding, homicide and meth-lab cleanups were only some of the services Pankhurst offered: fascinating material for a book right there. But her story was also epic, spanning extremes of abuse, pain and courage.
Accompanying Pankhurst and her hazmat-suited team to the horrendous jobs they routinely tackle, Krasnostein sensitively probes the tragedies behind the houses piled ceiling-high with detritus and long-undiscovered corpses. She also pieces together Pankhurst’s life, with its pitch-black episodes and sunnier times. Born a boy, Pankhurst was adopted in the 1950s to “replace” a lost son. When his adoptive parents had two more sons of their own, this boy became surplus and was treated abysmally. He developed an unwavering determination to transition to a woman – in the face of great hostility in Australia at the time.
Krasnostein brings deep compassion to her account (although she can overdo the metaphors) and, drawing on her own pain, captures Pankhurst in all her contradictions. A monumental biography of a singular and unforgettable woman.
• The Trauma Cleaner is published by Text (£8.99).
