His parents were blue-collar and growing up money was always tight. "Add to that an early marriage and an early divorce. When you turn that kind of life into literature, people aren't going to find it upbeat," explains a female friend.
事實上，處世幹練的蔣耀賢筆下往往帶著濃濃的憂鬱：父母是藍領工人，家裡經濟狀況一直不好，「加上早早結婚，卻也早早就離了婚，這些生活經驗寫成文字，人看起來就沒有那麼樂觀了！」