I received Hidden Valley Road for Mother’s Day this year. My wish list for any holiday is basically a list of books. I was surprised to receive this one, though, because I completely forgot putting it on my list.
I picked it up to read after finishing my last book because it was the shortest one on my TBR stack at the moment.
Once I began reading I was completely fascinated by the story of the family portrayed in this book.
I finished it today and found it appropriate that I read this during Mental Health Awareness Month.
Short and Sweet Summary
Hidden Valley Road is the story of an American family in which six of the twelve children were diagnosed with schizophrenia. It tells the story of each member of the family, beginning with Don and Mimi, the parents of these children at the beginning of their relationship.
Hidden Valley Road takes a close look at the dynamics of a family dealing with this terrible mental health issue. It examines each individual case and the effects this diagnosis has on the “healthy” children of the family throughout their lives.
Throughout the book there is also discussions of the history and research around schizophrenia and finding a cause and/or future cure.
What I Loved
I’m not an avid nonfiction reader, but Hidden Valley Road is exactly what I want to read when I do read nonfiction. It was about a fascinating topic and told in an interesting way. There was nothing dry about this!
Even though the topic of schizophrenia sounds far removed, mental illness is an issue that is prevalent in our society and one that I felt I could relate to as I read this well-told narrative.
Themes
Yes, mental illness is a huge theme of this book, specifically mental illness and the effect it has on a family. Family dynamics is another theme of this book as it examines relationships, forgiveness, growth and support through extremely hard circumstances. Another theme that I saw was the devastating effects of avoiding issues and keeping secrets within families.
Quote I Love
Our relationships can destroy us, but they can change us, too, and restore us, and without us ever seeing it happen, they define us.
We are human because the people around us make us human.
page 330
Rating
5/5 stars