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A review by gretchenplz
Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.0
I'm glad I read this after watching the "documentary" about the family.
The production and narrative laid out by the documentary really rubbed me the wrong way, and I feel so much better after hearing this much more humanized version of the Galvin family.
This story is incredibly sad, but at its heart, it's about 14 people who are just trying their best, all dealing with incredibly deep levels of trauma in the only ways they know how.
My criticism is that Mary/Lindsey is very much an unreliable narrator. Very much gives a martyr complex. Again, I empathize with her trauma, her feelings of responsibility for her sick brothers, and her frustration with her non-sick siblings, but I feel conflicted, especially knowing the trauma she inflicted on her own kids. However, I think the author did a great job researching and writing from all POVs and not just relying on one person for the story.
The production and narrative laid out by the documentary really rubbed me the wrong way, and I feel so much better after hearing this much more humanized version of the Galvin family.
This story is incredibly sad, but at its heart, it's about 14 people who are just trying their best, all dealing with incredibly deep levels of trauma in the only ways they know how.
My criticism is that Mary/Lindsey is very much an unreliable narrator. Very much gives a martyr complex. Again, I empathize with her trauma, her feelings of responsibility for her sick brothers, and her frustration with her non-sick siblings, but I feel conflicted, especially knowing the trauma she inflicted on her own kids. However, I think the author did a great job researching and writing from all POVs and not just relying on one person for the story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis