Releasing 10

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. What are your initial thoughts about the ending? How did you feel on learning that Lizzie and Hugh do not end up together?

2. If you’ve read Walsh’s Taming 7, how is Lizzie different and similar as a character? Did your opinion of her change after reading her backstory in Releasing 10?

3. How realistic did you find the characters and situations in the novel? Did this add to or take away from your reading experience?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Do you have a deep emotional connection to someone in your life the way Lizzie and Hugh do to each other? What have been the benefits and challenges of this kind of relationship? Have you ever disagreed with their actions or choices? How did you respond?

2. Do you have experience with mental illness in general or bipolar disorder in particular? Does Walsh’s portrayal of bipolar disorder illuminate any misconceptions about mental illness?

3. How did you feel reading Walsh’s raw, authentic depictions of difficult topics like sexual abuse, rape, and self-harm? Did they help you connect personal experiences with those of the characters? Why or why not?

4. If you have experienced grief, which character’s coping strategy best matches your own? Did you learn anything from other characters’ ways of handling—or struggling with—loss?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. What role does Lizzie and Hugh’s affluence play in the novel? How would the novel have been different if they were working class? How does the novel connect socioeconomic standing to mental health, education, and family relationships?

2. Parents are largely absent in the novel: Hugh’s father struggles with grief, Lizzie’s mother is ill, and Gibsie pulls away from his mother after his father’s death. How does this lack of traditional emotional support and guidance comment on family structures?

3. How did Lizzie’s early diagnosis relate to ongoing stigma of mental illness? Does her perception of herself and the way others see her reflect attitudes in our own society?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. Besides Mark, what antagonists are there in the novel? How are they characterized? What is their wider significance to the text?

2. Lizzie struggles to maintain autonomy from harmful figures like Mark while giving some control over herself to necessary authorities like doctors. How does Walsh explore the clash between control and autonomy?

3. Choose two moments in the text where the first-person point of view is vital to understanding character. How does Walsh use diction, figurative language, imagery, and/or internal monologue in these moments to develop the speaker?

4. How does the novel’s structure mirror Lizzie’s mental health journey? How does Walsh use sentence length, chapter and part divisions, italicized font, rising action, and climactic moments to embody Lizzie’s condition?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Write an epilogue to the novel that takes place one year after the events. What is the relationship between Hugh and Lizzie? Does Lizzie continue treatment? Has she spoken with anyone about her sexual abuse? Has Hugh learned to move past his romantic feelings for Lizzie?

2. Because music is an important motif in the novel, design playlists for Lizzie and Hugh. Choose five important moments, and then choose songs that best fit their feelings and emotions. Why did you choose the songs that you did?