Hidden Valley Road is one of the best accounts of mental illness available. It takes a familiar format, combining the narrative of the central characters affected by mental illness with the development of scientific thought about, and medical treatments for, the illness. It’s a long book at 400 words, with the unabridged audiobook (performed magnificently by Sean Pratt) just over 13 hours. Robert Kolker is a journalist who knows how to draw the reader in. The book starts in the present, with Lindsay Galvin visiting her brother Donald in the home where he lives, checking on his health and keeping him company. He has lived with schizophrenia for 50 years. We find that they are two of 12 siblings, 10 boys and 2 girls. 6 of the boys developed severe mental illness, and one changed the family history with an episode of extreme violence. Kolker quickly switches to the past, when Lindsay learnt to sew shut the eyes of a falcon as part of its training. Falconry was one of the great enthusiasms of her father Don, and it became a big part of family life.

Kolker tells the story of the Galvins from the mid twentieth century, with the different families of Don and Mimi, their early romance and marriage, Don’s life in the military, engaging in warfare, and then in business, and Mimi’s life as a woman of culture and a mother of 12. They moved from New York to Colorado Springs and set up a home in Hidden Valley Road. The first 10 children were boys, followed by the two sisters. Don was Catholic, and Mimi converted to Catholicism for him. 

In parallel chapters, Kolker also explains the developing understanding of schizophrenia from the nineteenth century, doing an admirable job of conveying some of the technical details, and including some biographical details of the scientists. 

The parallel stories intersect when scientists learned that there was a family with 6 brothers with diagnoses of schizophrenia. The family became a subject of scientific study, especially with genetic approaches. A great strength of the book is Kolker’s coverage of recent approaches to schizophrenia and its treatment, some of it inspired by family and genetic studies. They also intersect more unhappily, in the unhappy history of the treatment of the boys’ mental illnesses, and the terrible failures of that treatment. As Kolker points out early on, the effects of the treatments can sometimes be as bad as the effects of the diseases. 

Another great strength of the book is its exploration of family dynamics, especially as they affected Mimi and her two daughters. There was plenty of fighting between the boys and there was certainly bullying and abuse. The girls were especially vulnerable and experienced sexual abuse from one of their brothers from early on. The family was dominated by the problems of the boys and the experiences of the girls only came to light much later on. It was especially difficult for Don and Mimi to acknowledge what happened. 

Kolker emphasizes the evolving relationships between different family members and the benefits that psychotherapy offered not for the boys, but eventually for Lindsay, exploring her family history and her mother’s actions. She has been able to build a good life for herself. The final chapters emphasize the tensions and alliances between Lindsay, her sister Margaret and their mother. The book ends with the memorial for Mimi and gives a sense of how the remaining members of the family are doing.

Another aspect of the book is the history of the boys growing up in the 1960s and 1970s, with a growing counter culture and drug culture. They were significantly immersed in that youth culture, and the drugs may well have had a role in the development of their illnesses. Kolker refers many times to Ken Kesey’s novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and there was some appeal in rebelling against mainstream culture. Yet the boys also embraced other parts of culture. Donald, the eldest boy, was often obsessed by religious doctrines and his delusions were inspired by some parts of Christianity. 

Hidden Valley Road is a rich account of the Galvin family, and the many approaches to mental illness, especially as it relates to the family. It will be of interest both to mental health professionals and anyone whose family has been affected by severe mental illness. 

Christian Perring is editor of Metapsychology Online Reviews. He teaches philosophy in the NYC area and is an APPA certified philosophical counselor

Categories: MentalIllness, Memoir

Keywords: schizophrenia, memoir