Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker

I read a lot of books so I often have a hard time deciding what to read next. About 2 years ago I started opening my library app, filtering on available now, sorting by “Random” and reading the first book that pops up. That is how I found Hidden Valley Road.

Reading is a great way to learn about cultures, living with illness, life choices that may be different than our own and so much more. Broadening our understanding of different ways of living can help us be more accepting of others, but also more accepting of ourselves and the ways we are different from the expectations we have set. Letting go of judgement of ourselves and others can lead to a happier life.

Hidden Valley Road was such an eye opening book. I do not personally have or know anyone with schizophrenia so before reading this book would have had no idea what life would be like living with schizophrenia or growing up in a family with a loved on who has this illness. One of the concepts I found most jarring was how much blame was put on the mother being a bad parent, causing shame and the desire to hide the behaviors and act like nothing was wrong instead of seeking help. Raising a child with schizophrenia or having it yourself sounds like it would be extremely challenging and isolating; however, having to go through a life like this with no support would be near impossible.

There was also such a huge debate between schizophrenia being caused by nature vs nurture. Even as medical advances have been made, that debate remains, the nuances have just shifted. Not knowing if it is a genetic or psychological condition makes it harder to treat.

One of the Galvin brothers, Peter, had his diagnosis shift back and forth between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder throughout the book. The complications of diagnosing mental illnesses can make life harder for the patient seeking help. Getting a medication and dosage correct when you have a proper diagnosis is already a challenge. Being misdiagnosed can lead to taking the wrong medication, which can potentially be more harmful than not taking medication at all. Lastly, there is a catch 22 with schizophrenia medication. Taking it consistently can help with a mental illness; however depending on the medication, it can have long term side effects that make you physically ill. On the other side of the coin, not taking the medications consistently will allow your mental illness to control your life.

Finally Lindsay, originally known as Mary, shows us a different experience. She does not have schizophrenia, but endured being raised with several siblings who were undiagnosed and unmedicated. There are two key things I believe we should learn from Lindsay. The first is not to judge others because you will never understand what they are dealing with behind closed doors. The second is how impactful therapy can be.

Hidden Valley Road gave readers a lot to reflect and learn from. What was your biggest takeaway from reading Hidden Valley Road?

Next month we will talk about the book “By the Fire We Carry” by Rebecca Nagle.