Trailer Trash and Forgiveness

Trailer Trash and Forgiveness is a memoir about growing up in the sixties and seventies, when parents believed their children were supposed to be seen but not heard—and that they were always right, before the internet could prove them wrong. Parents often forgot that just because they had a shit childhood didn’t mean that their children deserved one as well. Elle Payne detected that something was wrong in her family at a young age, and she knew she wanted no part of it. By sharing stories about her family that are sometimes shockingly naïve and often funny, Elle Payne paints a picture of how generational trauma is passed on—until a five-year-old says, “No thanks,” and becomes a black sheep.

Elle Payne is a full-time writer, a licensed funeral director, and the director of Sequim Ballet, where she teaches classical ballet. This is her second book. Her first memoir, Stories, Musings, and Advice from a Funeral Director, was published in 2021. She resides in Sequim, Washington, with her husband, two dogs, three cats, and an opossum.