Releasing 10

Several characters in Releasing 10 experience severe emotional and physical trauma as children, facing difficult and often extreme situations far beyond what a child would typically deal with. Compounding their challenges is the fact that they largely lack traditional family support. Lizzie’s father, who is embarrassed by and resentful of her bipolar diagnosis, mostly ignores her. Hugh and Claire’s father becomes emotionally absent from their lives after the death of his best friend—Gibsie’s father. Gibsie, whose mother marries the father of Gibsie’s abuser after Gibsie’s father dies, refuses to have a relationship with his stepfather and distances himself from his mother. In contrast, Lizzie, Hugh, Claire, Gibsie, and Feely form a seemingly unbreakable bond at six years old. After throwing eggs at their neighbor’s house, Hugh initiates Lizzie into the circle where they “keep each other’s secrets and stick together, no matter what” (89).

Hugh is key to Lizzie’s attempts to cope with her bipolar disorder. Lizzie often self-harms and contemplates suicide, wondering if she needs or even wants to recover from her severe episodes of depression. Unlike her family, Hugh exudes safety and protection from the moment they meet on the bus as elementary school children: He calms her moods, researches her diagnosis and urges her to seek medical treatment, stands up to Mark, and provides a safe space with his presence.