SKU: 2145297309

Damage Control: A Memoir of Outlandish Privilege, Loss and Redemption

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Description

Damage Control: A Memoir of Outlandish Privilege, Loss and RedemptionA powerful blazingly honest memoir told with humor and panache about a mother and son finding each other again after years of estrangement. A coming of age story of outrageous excess, glamour, entitlement and grand delusion, lived above the fray and over the top. A gay man's journey through the joys and perils of his generation, coming out in the early eighties in the shadow of a terrifying of disease that would devastate so many, surviving tremendous

A powerful blazingly honest memoir told with humor and panache about a mother and son finding each other again after years of estrangement. A coming-of-age story of outrageous excess, glamour, entitlement and grand delusion, lived above the fray and over the top. A gay man's journey through the joys and perils of his generation, coming out in the early eighties in the shadow of a terrifying of disease that would devastate so many, surviving tremendous loss and culminating in his decision to adopt a child as a single parent.

When Sergei, a psychotherapist who has been living in Paris for the past decade, discovers that his mother is terminally ill, he decides to leave his practice and his life to be by her side, in the hope of healing the bitterness and discord before it is too late. Alternating between a narrative of Dollsie's last months as she battles cancer, interwoven with poignant and hilarious and at times shocking scenes from their outlandishly privileged lives, DAMAGE CONTROL is a story about exile and loss, searching and escape. From the mountain villages of Gstaad, Switzerland, to New York and Miami and Cuba, the narrator revisits the chateaux and chalets of his childhood, exploring the emotional and geographical landscapes of a mother and son whose lives are revealed to be poignant parallels of each other. After avoiding his mother for a lifetime, seeking shelter from her destructiveness and her drinking and her rage, Sergei comes face-to-face with this narcissistic woman confronting mortality for the first time, and through his own experiences as an activist and a therapist and a man who has faced his own mortality at young age, he helps her to come to terms with all her guilt and regrets and fear of dying.

This memoir offers a fascinating and disturbing portrayal of a glamorous woman whose life has been one of great elegance and luxury, along with disillusionment, grandiosity, seduction and self-destruction: her childhood in pre-Castro Cuba, a mythical island paradise; her marriage at the age of eighteen to a dashing young Swiss man and their subsequent exile; her frantic and desperate resolve to create a mythical life of her own and pass on the traditions of aristocracy to her children, all the while leading a double life and suffering feelings of intense longing and frustration and guilt which eventually cause her to destroy and walk away from everything that she has been raised to want and expect out of life.

DAMAGE CONTROL is ultimately a rendering of the cycle of life, saying goodbye to a parent so you can say hello to a child, and finding grace and redemption through a mother's love.


Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Carol Mann Agency
Published: 04/08/2014
ISBN: 9780786755844
Pages: 296
Weight: 0.88lbs
Size: 8.90h x 5.90w x 0.80d
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SKU: 2145297309

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4.8 ★★★★★
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Belleville, US
★★★★★ 5
So soft and pretty Looks great!
Color: Aqua, Size: Throw Size - 50" X 60", Color: Aqua, Size: Throw Size - 50" X 60"
This blanket is wonderful. I'm not sure if it will last or wash well but it's amazing right now. I was looking for something that had a sort of aqua color that would go with my new sheets that are aqua but still blend with my comforter which has more blue tones in it. This worked great as far as the color. I took some pictures and my dog is in them because as soon as I put it on the bed she jumped up and was like "oh thanks Mom ...I love this" That is how soft and luxurious this feels. Others said theirs was shedding. I took mine out of the bag and shook and no shedding. I did have trouble getting it out of the plastic and cut a few pieces with the scissors but once I got it started I just pulled to rip the plastic. I took one pic so you could see the back. I would say it's like a fuzzy microfiber and the color is identical. It's just te right thickness. I love the design. It's warm to lay under but also has a warm look. It was a good value at just under $30. I know some people said it did not wash well but I'll be super careful when I wash it and even though it says hang dry I might tumble on a very low or cool dryer so that it does not mat. If it's a disaster I'll come back to report but prob wont wash it for a few months. Oh and no weird smells out of the bag so that was a plus for me since I have chemical sensitivities.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2026
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Michael Johnson
Lake Worth, US
★★★★★ 5
Nice quality! Very soft and comfy!
Color: Aqua, Size: Throw Size - 50" X 60", Color: Aqua, Size: Throw Size - 50" X 60"
So soft and the color is perfect for our room. I love it!
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Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2026
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Bre McCall - Teague
Lake Worth, US
★★★★★ 5
Lovely Fluffy Faux Fur Blanket
Color: White, Size: Throw Size - 50" X 60"
Lovely, very soft & lightweight. It is a bit thin causing me to worry it might not be overly warm or durable, yet is just what I was searching for to do a photo project. Thanks!
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Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2026
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Rosanne Betz
Cuba, US
★★★★★ 5
Beautiful throw
Color: Aqua, Size: Throw Size - 50" X 60"
great quality and so soft and warm......perfect color and good price! very happy with our purchase.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2025
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Tara
Waukegan, US
★★★★★ 4
Super Comfortable and Soft
Color: White, Size: Throw Size - 50" X 60"
Feels luxurious and silky soft! It is not very thick but does keep me very warm. In fact I have to kick my legs out sometimes when I’m using it. It does shed A LOT! Will need to update after washing to see if that reduces the shedding. But it is beautiful and comfy. Is give it a 7 out of 10 for quality because of the shedding and the top and underneath pieces are only secured on the edges, which makes it move around and I have to grab the edges and shake to get its form back to normal. I would definitely purchase again. Especially if the shedding reduces it goes away after I run it through a wash cycle. I do NOT recommend drying in the dryer. It will mat I can almost guarantee that. Almost all blankets like these do if you dry them in a dryer with heat. Maybe no heat tumble might work, but NO heat.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2024

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