First published 2015
Mary Pflum Peterson works as a television producer at Good Morning America, projecting polish and organization to the world. Behind this professional facade lies a childhood marked by chaos. Her mother Anne, a former nun, fills their house with towering stacks of broken appliances, unopened mail, and accumulated debris. The hoarding grows worse as Mary ages. Anne promises to clean for Mary's high school graduation party, where Mary will be honored as valedictorian, but fails to follow through. Shame and fear consume Mary as the clutter multiplies. Yet one constant connects mother and daughter across the years. White dresses mark every significant moment in their lives. Anne wore white when she took her vows as a nun. She chose white for her wedding after leaving the convent. She gives Mary white nightshirts after each grandchild's birth. These garments represent hope and fresh starts even as Anne's mental state deteriorates. After Anne's death in 2010, Mary searches for answers about her mother's decline from devoted nun to troubled hoarder.
Genres: american-fiction, addiction, abuse, biography-memoir, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, family-drama, mental-illness
Period: 2010
352 pages · Kindle Edition · William Morrow Paperbacks
Content warnings: mental-illness