Ireland mined for clues to clan madness

Many Irish Americans make a pilgrimage to the Emerald Isle, lured by romantic images of a lyrical, pastoral dreamland, as well as by the American craving for a tangible ethnic identity. But for Boston-based writer Patrick Tracey, traveling to his ancestral homeland was the geographical equivalent of a tormented child collapsing at his mother's feet and wailing "Why?"

For, unlike a Riverdance-bemused pub tourist, Tracey sees Ireland as the genetic base camp for schizophrenia, the incurable, life-altering insanity disease that has ravaged his family. In his memoir of the trip, "Stalking Irish Madness," Tracey attempts to uncover the confounding link between Irish genes and schizophrenia, but in doing so also gives readers a hard look into how this disease breaks the human soul -- and breaks the heart of all who watch.

The most arresting passages of "Stalking Irish Madness" are in the initial chapters, when Tracey recounts his family history. Although his uncle's erratic behavior and his grandmother's ultimate institutionalization are whispered undercurrents of his youth, Tracey doesn't come head-to-head with schizophrenia until two of his beloved sisters succumb to the world of delusions and voices, in young adulthood. Tracey's depiction of the sense of loss and horror at loved ones' descents into madness are perhaps some of the most realistic ever committed to paper. Tracey exposes what has clearly been a lifetime of grief, survivor's guilt and fear of passing on the disease.

When Tracey realizes that hard living hasn't eased his pain and decides to confront head-on the demon that is stalking him and his family, the book becomes an uneven but not altogether unsuccessful blend of memoir and reporting. Tracey mines both the science of Ireland as well as its myths. He comes up with some rather straightforward answers as to how the Irish in particular wound up with the curse -- older fathers, malnutrition, etc. -- yet he also explores the legends and history of the Irish condition of being "away with the fairies."

Tracey also finds a hopeful new school of thought that suggests that helping schizophrenics manage "the voices," as opposed to bombing them with antipsychotic drugs, may provide a better standard of living for the afflicted.

"Stalking Irish Madness" is obviously a must-read for families, especially Irish families, that have been affected by this most severe form of mental illness. The book isn't an airtight narrative -- sometimes the trip to Ireland feels like a gimmick to focus the topic, and Tracey's writing style has its own hills and valleys -- but the fragile, human story at its core is beautiful and devastating.

Cherie Parker, a former Minnesotan, blogs at thelitlife.com.