An utterly captivating story of wine, wealth, and a family
destroyed by accusations of incest. Johnston (Roller Coasters,
1990, etc.) cuts through an amazingly tangled web of recovered
memories and warring therapists to bring to life the story of the
Ramona family. Gary and Stephanie Ramona were enjoying the American
Dream in Napa Valley, where Gary had a top sales job at Mondavi.
But their daughter Holly developed bulimia in high school. A random
choice led her to Marche Isabella, a newly minted therapist with no
training in eating disorders or depression. She first met Holly in
1989, just as a tidal wave of recovered memories - visual images
purported by some therapists to be repressed memories of childhood
abuse - began. Soon Holly was taking sodium amytal, a questionable
form of therapy, and declared she had been raped repeatedly by
Gary. The stunning lack of proof (including the fact that Holly's
hymen was practically intact) was no obstacle to what became a
Job-like turn of events for Gary: His wife and three daughters left
him, his newly constructed dream house was sold for legal fees, and
he was fired from Mondavi. Holly filed suit against her father, and
he, devastated, filed a malpractice lawsuit agains her therapists.
His suit was ultimately successful, and Johnston offers high drama
in her account of jury selection, competing expert witnesses, and
courtroom testimony. Her research into memory science is
meticulous, and she does a brilliant job of presenting both sides
to this story, presenting Gary as not the best of fathers, but no
rapist, and Stephanie as a weak-willed trophy wife whose
long-brewing anger at Gary found its expression in incest
accusations. Johnston is a bit thin on some of the legal context
for this case. Still, a frightening look into what happens when pop
psychology is mistaken for therapy, and when the dubious fruits of
that therapy are mistaken for truth. (Kirkus Reviews)
Spectral Evidence is a masterful account of the Ramona family of
Napa Valley, CA, whose outward appearance of success was destroyed
by allegations of child sexual abuse brought by Holly, the eldest
of the Ramonas three daughters, by her mother, Stephanie, and by
Holly's therapists against her father, Gary.These allegations were
based on memories recovered through the efforts of the therapists,
who were later successfully sued by Gary for malpractice. From the
powerfully rendered confrontation between Gary and his wife and
daughter, to the dramatic conclusion of the first trial, at which
the entire concept of recovered memory was furiously debated,
readers witness a dynamic and emotional family drama.Johnston, a
veteran investigative journalist, objectively explores the nature
of recovered memory, its validity, and its quick acceptance within
the professional psychological community. The book provides an
even-handed and fair survey of the research and opinions brought to
bear by feminists, psychologists, memory scientists, and legal
experts.
General
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