Hidden Valley Road is the true story of the Galvin family, who had six of their twelve children diagnosed with schizophrenia. Kolker investigates this phenomenon with the help of youngest daughter, Lindsay, who has stayed in contact and helped many of her ill siblings. This fascinating and heartbreaking book is part biography, part medical mystery, and part a history of the science of psychology as it relates to schizophrenia.
Through exploring the dynamics in the Galvin family, Kolker reveals the complexities of living in a family dealing with mental illness. The unpredictable nature of schizophrenia, including the different ways the disease affects the six Galvin boys who are afflicted, leaves the other family members fearful, endangered, and heartbroken. They don’t know how to help those loved ones with the disease, often putting other family members at risk. The Galvin home is fractured and chaotic. Additionally, it doesn’t help that the Galvin’s are a large family and live an unconventional life, two aspects that exist outside of the mental health issues. One quirk, is Don and Mimi, the parents, have an a hobby of catching and training raptors. Their beloved birds are not the safest of pets, yet are an oddity that the children must embrace.
In tandem with an exploration of the Galvin family, is a through history of schizophrenia analysis and treatment. Kolker explains how doctors have been looking for correlations between schizophrenia and genetics. As adults, the Galvin family submitted themselves to research to help further explore the theories behind heredity and this research is continuing with the next generation of the family.
Hidden Valley Road is a difficult read because of the damaging and insidious nature of schizophrenia. It inflicted damage on every single member of the Galvin family and continues to plague them. It is also an absorbing and captivating book. I learned so much about schizophrenia and psychology. It was fascinating. I recommend this to anyone who has an interest in psychology or medical mysteries, but can also stomach reading about horrific family trauma.