Chapter 73 Summary: “Up, Up, and Away” – Lizzie’s Crisis

⚠️ Spoiler Notice

This summary and analysis contain detailed spoilers for Chapter 73 of Releasing 10 (The Boys of Tommen). If you haven’t read the chapter yet, proceed with caution.

Summary

The chapter opens with Lizzie barely coherent after receiving a dose of Midazolam. She mumbles about living on another planet, under water, and being scratched by a monster. Her mother cries nearby, asking the doctor what is happening. The doctor explains that the sedative will leave Lizzie drowsy for a day or two and promises to write a letter for the school explaining the morning’s incident. Lizzie’s academic record is defended—she remains in the top five percent despite her bipolar disorder and rapid cycling. Lizzie then slurringly asks a man she mistakes for a stranger to help her die and to find her friend. When she addresses her father as “mister dad” and asks him to stop the hurting, Michael Young breaks down in tears. Lizzie’s mother tries to calm him. The doctor holds Lizzie’s hand and reassures her, but Lizzie feels nothing—the injection has left her completely numb.

Key Events

• Lizzie is in a medical chair, heavily sedated, and unable to make eye contact or articulate clearly.
• She speaks disjointedly about another planet, water, and a monster with claws.
• Her mother expresses distress and confusion to the doctor.
• The doctor explains the sedation effect, the school letter, and Lizzie’s continued academic success despite her bipolar disorder and rapid cycling.
• Lizzie mistakes her father for a stranger and asks him to help her die and find her friend.
• Michael Young cries out in anguish; Mrs. Young pleads for him not to break down in front of Lizzie.
• Lizzie addresses her father as “mister dad” and asks him to stop the hurting.
• A staff member holds her hand and tells her she will be okay.
• Lizzie ends the chapter feeling nothing, accepting numbness.

Character Development

• Lizzie: Reaches a new low of dissociation. Her rambling indicates severe psychosis or sensory distortion (seeing four of the stranger). She is detached from reality and from her own emotions, asking for death without understanding the gravity.
• Michael Young (Dad): His composure shatters. He asks how the family can keep living like this, showing the toll Lizzie’s illness takes on caregivers.
• Mrs. Young (Mam): Remains protective, trying to shield Lizzie from her father’s outburst and seeking practical solutions from the doctor.
• Doctor: Professional, calm, and clinical, yet offers a moment of human connection by holding Lizzie’s hand.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

• Planet/Water/Monster Imagery: Lizzie’s metaphorical language suggests a world apart from reality—alienation and drowning in mental illness. The monster with claws represents the intrusive, painful nature of her condition.
• Numbness as Escape: The sedative’s physical numbness mirrors Lizzie’s emotional shutdown. She welcomes the absence of feeling, indicating a desire to escape her suffering.
• Family Burden: The chapter highlights how bipolar disorder affects not only the individual but also parents who feel helpless and exhausted.
• Academic Achievement vs. Internal Turmoil: The doctor’s remark that Lizzie thrives academically despite her condition underscores the hidden nature of mental illness.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 73 serves as a raw, unflinching portrayal of a severe bipolar episode. It shows the character at her most vulnerable and disconnected, setting a crucial baseline for her later recovery or regression. The scene also deepens the reader’s understanding of the Young family’s struggles, adding emotional weight to Lizzie’s arc. Without this chapter, her later choices and relationships—especially her search for connection and meaning—would lack context.

Study Questions and Answers

1. What medication is Lizzie given, and what effect does it have on her?
Midazolam is administered to sedate her. The drug makes her extremely drowsy, disoriented, and numb, and it remains in her system for a day or two. The numbness prevents her from feeling emotional or physical pain.

2. How does Lizzie’s speech in this chapter reflect her mental state?
She speaks in fragments, confuses her father with a stranger, repeats phrases, and uses surreal imagery (another planet, water, monster). This mirrors the disorganized thinking and dissociation common during acute bipolar psychosis.

3. What does Michael Young’s breakdown reveal about the family’s situation?
His cry “How can we keep living like this?” shows accumulated exhaustion and grief. It suggests that Lizzie’s episodes have become a recurring crisis that strains the entire family, and her mother’s plea “Not in front of her” indicates they try to hide their despair from Lizzie.

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