ON COVE MOUNTAIN

In this memoir, a man rebuilds his life with religious faith in the wake of institutionalization.

After moving to Texas at 21 to begin a landscaping business, Duncan experienced a severe nervous breakdown in 2001 triggered, in part, by stress and insomnia. After police found him wandering outside, removing all his clothes near a shopping mall, he was institutionalized for 10 days; during that time, he was prescribed a blend of potentially toxic medications, and for five years, he says, he struggled further with depression. When he wished to join the military, his requests to his psychiatrist to reduce his prescription intake were denied, so he weaned himself off the medication himself. He didn’t go into the military, after all; instead, for the next several years, he struggled with unfulfilling jobs and relationship problems, and he was burdened by a feeling of disconnection from God. However, his connection to Catawba Valley, and its crowning glory, Cove Mountain, remained a source of solace. When a terrifying storm forced Ian to take shelter on the mountain, he emerged from the experience feeling reborn in his Christian faith. Even after the stigma of his institutionalization reemerged, he found strength in his religion to make the choices required to build a relationship that led to marriage and to grow as a Christian. Duncan’s powerful and thoughtful remembrance effectively presents Cove Mountain as a symbol of God’s plan and recalls the Christian hymn “Rock of Ages.” As the work unfolds, the author offers a relatable narrative of a young man who finds himself lost in others’ expectations. Early on, as he’s swept away by his desire for success and oppressed by his institutional experience, he becomes detached from faith, which is held up as the source of true meaning. His search for fulfilling love, self-actualization, and closeness with God is engaging throughout. Duncan reviews his past mistakes with a self-awareness that will give hope to readers who may be facing their own demons.

A stirring work that will particularly appeal to Christian readers.