Secrecy and Gaslighting in Releasing 10: Lizzie Young's Battle for Truth

Introduction

In Releasing 10, the sixth installment of Chloe Walsh’s The Boys of Tommen series, secrecy and gaslighting form a suffocating web that traps protagonist Lizzie Young. The novel demonstrates how those closest to her—family, authority figures, and abuser Mark Allen—systematically deny her reality, forcing her into silence and self-doubt. This analysis traces the theme across key plot moments, examines character and symbol connections, and explores the complexity of Lizzie’s internalized doubt.

Thematic Claim

The novel argues that secrecy and gaslighting are not isolated acts but a coordinated assault on a survivor’s credibility. Lizzie faces dismissal from her parents, disbelief from the Gardaí, and deliberate manipulation from Mark, all of which erode her ability to trust her own memories. The result is a painful cycle: the more she is disbelieved, the more she doubts herself, and the less she speaks—exactly what her abuser wants.

Secrecy and Gaslighting in the Young Family

Family denial begins early. In a chapter from 1993, when five-year-old Lizzie climbs onto her father’s lap after a bath, he reacts with anger, telling her she is “too old” for such behavior. Her mother Catherine defends her, but the argument reveals deep fault lines: Michael views Lizzie’s behavior as abnormal, while Catherine accuses him of ignoring her needs. The father walks out. Lizzie internalizes a message: she is a “bad girl” deserving punishment. This early family dynamic normalizes secrecy—Lizzie learns that speaking up leads to conflict and rejection.

Later, during Caoimhe’s funeral in 2003, Mark takes advantage of the family’s grief to reinforce Lizzie’s silence. He forces her to blame Gibsie for Caoimhe’s death, twisting the narrative to protect himself. He threatens her: “Everyone already thinks you’re insane, so no need to fuel the fire.” He also warns that her mother is “on borrowed time” and that without her, Lizzie will be sent to a mental hospital. This is textbook gaslighting—making the victim feel that speaking out will lead to isolation and punishment.

Police Disbelief and Institutional Gaslighting

The Gardaí repeatedly dismiss Lizzie’s reports. In one incident, Hugh spots a woman he believes is stalking them. When they call the police, the officers say there is “no law against looking at fellow pedestrians.” Hugh’s mother backs him, but Lizzie remains silent because she knows from experience that no one will believe her. In a later interrogation, a policewoman questions Lizzie about her bipolar diagnosis, using it to discredit her accusations. She extracts admissions of hearing voices and earlier violence toward Caoimhe, then warns that if Lizzie continues “slandering the Allen family,” there will be legal consequences.

This institutional gaslighting is devastating. Lizzie is told her accusations are “time-consuming” and “costly.” She is pathologized: her trauma is reduced to a symptom of her mental illness. The officer’s cold questions—“Did your sister ever harm you?”—further shame her. Lizzie vows never to return to the station, sealing her silence.

Mark’s Orchestrated Gaslighting

Mark Allen is the central gaslighter. He systematically isolates Lizzie, rewrites reality, and threatens her into submission. At Caoimhe’s funeral, he physically forces her to say Gibsie killed her sister. He twists her sister’s death into a weapon: “If Caoimhe were here, she’d be so disappointed in you.” He even claims he will always “take you with me” through pictures, cementing her terror.

Mark also manipulates others. Caoimhe confronts him after witnessing something incriminating, shouting, “How could you do that to a child!” He denies it, calls Lizzie a liar, and even threatens suicide to manipulate Caoimhe’s sympathy. When Caoimhe later barges into Lizzie’s room demanding the truth, Mark physically attacks her and blames Lizzie: “She’s a fucking whore, baby. Your sister led me on.” This triangulation—denying, blaming, playing the victim—keeps everyone uncertain except Lizzie, who knows but cannot prove the truth.

Symbols of Secrecy and Self-Doubt

Two symbols reinforce the theme. The scary lady that Lizzie and Hugh see is dismissed by police as a fantasy. Yet the novel presents her as real, a stalker-like figure who appears under streetlamps. For Lizzie, she embodies the impossibility of being believed—no one will acknowledge the threat she represents. The monster (Mark’s voice in her head) becomes internalized. In chapter 151, Lizzie hears him say “Close your eyes and just let go” as she dissociates. The monster is gaslighting from within: “You are a liar!” she tells herself, repeating his words. These symbols show how secrecy moves from external force to internal prison.

Complexity: Lizzie’s Own Doubt

The novel does not depict gaslighting as a simple external force. Lizzie genuinely struggles to trust her own memories. After telling Hugh about her abuse, she reflects: “My memories continued to fuse with my imagination until I couldn’t tell the difference.” She doubts even what she has witnessed. In chapter 106, she feels “jarred” by everyone’s disbelief and wonders, “Maybe I was [disturbed].” This self-gaslighting is a tragic consequence of repeated denial. It makes her complicit in her own silencing—not out of weakness, but survival.

Study Questions and Answers

Below are five questions for deeper analysis, with answers based on the text.

1. How does Lizzie’s family contribute to the culture of secrecy around her abuse?
Lizzie’s parents argue about her behavior but never ask why she acts out. Her father dismisses her as “crying out for attention,” and her mother focuses on pandering rather than investigating. Their unwillingness to confront possible abuse enables Mark to continue his manipulation.

2. In what ways do the Gardaí gaslight Lizzie during the interrogation in chapter 124?
The policewoman uses Lizzie’s bipolar diagnosis to discredit her, calls her accusations “slandering,” and threatens legal consequences if she persists. She frames Mark’s stepmother’s complaint as evidence that Lizzie is the aggressor, not the victim.

3. Why does Lizzie repeatedly tell doctors she is “fine” when she is not?
She has learned that telling the truth leads to disbelief and increased medication. In chapter 76, the doctor’s warm smile does not convince her that anything will change. She knows “they didn’t ask the right questions” and that speaking up is futile.

4. How does Mark’s threat that “you’ll never forget me” function as a gaslighting tactic?
He deliberately plants the idea that he is permanently part of her, making her feel that escape is impossible. This psychological bind reinforces her silence because speaking out would keep him present in her mind—exactly what he wants.

5. Why is the “scary lady” a symbol of Lizzie’s isolation?
Hugh sees her too, yet the police dismiss both sightings. The figure exists outside Lizzie’s internal world, but authority figures label it a hallucination. This symbol shows how even objective evidence (another witness) is ignored when it conflicts with the narrative that Lizzie is unstable.