A review by kathywadolowski
Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker

dark sad medium-paced

4.0

A really really sad picture of what can happen in the absence of mental healthcare, regardless of whether the healthcare is inaccessible or the reality is ignored. In this case, it's a combination of both. The Galvin family certainly seems like a medical anomaly, with half of their children diagnosed with schizophrenia, and I appreciated that this book dove into the dynamics of their family while also presenting a history of the disease and our collective [lack of] understanding about how it works. This dual narrative made the Galvins' suffering feel much more dire, as medical resources and attention were siphoned away from a complicated diagnosis that alienates those who are afflicted. 

This account was definitely hard to read at times, as even the Galvin children without schizophrenia (and those outside the family) clearly suffered its effects. But it's also an important testimony not just about the need for robust mental healthcare, but the need for said care to actually be *good* and patient-focused. Because even as the Galvin boys were being treated, their quality of life was either ruined or just nonexistent. Schizophrenia absolutely is a scary disease as an observer, and I didn't understand previously all the ways it can manifest. But fear can't make us look away; it's not easy, but hopefully as a society we can aim for better. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Mental illness, Sexual assault, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Death, Suicide, Violence, and Murder