Overview

Millions of people struggle with severe clutter and hoarding. Barry Yourgrau is one of them. Behind the door of his apartment, Yourgrau's life is chaos. Confronted by his exasperated girlfriend, he embarks on a heartfelt, wide-ranging and too often uproarious project to take control of his apartment and life, and to explore the world of extreme hoarding. Encountering a professional declutterer, a Lacanian shrink and Clutterers Anonymous—not to mention Britain's most excessive hoarder—as well as explorations of the bewildering universe of new therapies and brain science, Yourgrau navigates uncharted territory: clearing shelves, boxes and bags; and sorting through a lifetime of messy relationships. Mess is the story of a man's efforts to let go, clean up his space (physical and emotional) and save his relationship.

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9780393352900

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Reviews

An absorbing look at a mysterious compulsion. -- People Droll, engaging. -- Wall Street Journal Terrifically funny... What can we say: Hoarders seem to be hot. -- USA Today A fascinating read by a hoarder about the psychology and culture of hoarding. -- New York Times Mess is Barry Yourgrau's autobiography by way of neurosis, a twenty-first-century version of the Confessions of Zeno. Sometimes shocking and frequently self-mocking, it charts the tough negotiation between shame and fixation, between clinging to the past and moving forward, between being devoured by one's demons and facing them down. -- Andrew Solomon, author of Far from the Tree All of us who live-or have lived-in unmentionable and unspeakable abodes owe it to ourselves to have our anti-domestic pathologies turned into something as funny and charming as Mess. -- Lawrence Osborne, author of The Forgiven A funny, smart, and moving memoir about the accumulation of STUFF: what it means to us, why we keep it, and how we deal with our personal 'collections.' (Great book, btw.) -- Roz Chast, author of Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? My favorite Bohemian unpacks his life, and his heart. I will never look at clutter the same way again. I love this book! -- Gary Shteyngart, author of Little Failure Barry Yourgrau is America's Kafka, if Kafka were hysterically funny, weirdly relatable, and had just a little bit of a hoarding problem. Mess is a total Yourgrau feast-I wept with laughter (but then why couldn't I throw away my Kleenex?). -- Sandra Tsing Loh, author of The Madwoman in the Volvo With Mess, Barry Yourgrau performs a wonderful sort of double excavation-of his overstuffed apartment but also his past, his pain, his losses, his confusions, his loves. This book is funny, hopeful, and true. Buy it, put in on your shelf, and be sure to dust it regularly. -- Daniel Smith, author of Monkey Mind

Author Information

Writer-performer Barry Yourgrau is the author of acclaimed books of brief fiction, including Wearing Dad's Head and The Sadness of Sex, in whose film version he starred. He’s appeared on MTV and NPR, and written for the New York Times, Huffington Post, Paris Review, and Vice, among others. Born in South Africa, he lives in New York and Istanbul.

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