Riven Rock was published by Viking in 1998. The novel is based on the real case of Stanley McCormick (1874–1947), son of Cyrus McCormick (inventor of the mechanical reaper and founder of International Harvester), who was institutionalized in 1906 for what was then called “sexual mania” and remained confined for the rest of his life. His wife Katherine Dexter McCormick — a brilliant MIT-educated scientist who would later fund the development of the birth control pill — was forbidden to see him for decades.
Boyle uses the McCormick case to explore the intersection of extreme wealth and mental illness in early twentieth-century America: the ability of money to construct elaborate private institutions (Stanley lived in a mansion with full staff, never seeing a woman), the evolving theories of psychiatry (from Freudian analysis to hormonal treatment to lobotomy), and the particular tragedy of a marriage that existed legally but not physically for forty years.
Katherine McCormick
The novel’s most compelling character is Katherine Dexter McCormick — a woman of extraordinary intelligence and determination who was denied access to her own husband for decades. Her later career (she funded the research that produced the contraceptive pill) makes her one of the most consequential figures in twentieth-century American history, and Boyle’s portrait captures both her frustration and her steely resolve.
Collecting Riven Rock
First edition (Viking, New York, 1998): Boards with dust jacket.
Approximate market values:
- Fine in dust jacket: $30–$75
- Very good: $15–$35
Projected values (2026–2036): Moderate appreciation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Katherine McCormick really fund the birth control pill? Yes. After Stanley’s death in 1947, Katherine McCormick used her inherited fortune to fund the research of Gregory Pincus and John Rock, which led to the development of Enovid, the first oral contraceptive, approved by the FDA in 1960.