  This work presents the first continuum shell-model study of weakly bound
neutron-rich nuclei involving multiconfiguration mixing. For the
single-particle basis, the complex-energy Berggren ensemble representing the
bound single-particle states, narrow resonances, and the non-resonant continuum
background is taken. Our shell-model Hamiltonian consists of a one-body finite
potential and a zero-range residual two-body interaction. The systems with two
valence neutrons are considered. The Gamow shell model, which is a
straightforward extension of the traditional shell model, is shown to be an
excellent tool for the microscopic description of weakly bound systems. It is
demonstrated that the residual interaction coupling to the particle continuum
is important; in some cases, it can give rise to the binding of a nucleus.
