Releasing 10

“I smiled and touched [Caoimhe’s] face. She had the best face. She had kind eyes. They were blue, just like mine. I knew the color. I knew all the colors and wanted to tell my sister that. I just…couldn’t get the words to come out. My voice wouldn’t work.”

Lizzie does not speak for much of her early childhood; her family wonders if she has an intellectual disability. However, through the first-person point of view, Walsh emphasizes Lizzie’s vibrant inner life and her love for her family—even if they treat her with annoyance and isolation.

“‘What is wrong with that child!’

‘Mike, she doesn’t understand.’

‘She’s disturbed, Catherine. A blind man can see that.’

‘How can you say that about your own flesh and blood?’

‘I can’t take it, Catherine. I’m sorry.’

‘You’re a fucking coward, that’s why.’

‘It’s killing me to watch her like this.’”

Lizzie’s point-of-view chapters illustrate her father’s lack of love. Here, a four-year-old Lizzie overhears her parents argue about her treatment, with her dad insisting that he can no longer deal with Lizzie’s mental health challenges. This scene helps the reader understand Lizzie’s feelings of isolation and lack of belonging throughout her teenage years.

“Shannon whispered from her perch beside me. We were sitting on the bench outside the principal’s office, waiting for our parents to come out from their meeting. ‘But you shouldn’t have done it.’ She looked up at me with big, blue eyes. ‘You’re going to get in deep trouble because of me.’

‘I don’t care,’ I told her. ‘He hurt my friend. He made you cry.’

‘Yeah, but you made him bleed,’ she replied, chewing her lip.”

The introduction of Lizzie’s best friend, Shannon, emphasizes Lizzie’s fierce loyalty and adds layers of nuance to her behavioral issues. While the adults in her life think that Lizzie simply acts out on a whim, the reality is that she is often lashing out at bullies who will not leave Shannon alone.