Holding Up The Universe

This marks the beginning of the book’s next section, “Three Years Earlier.” The narration flashes back to the night of Libby’s rescue,elaboratingon it from both Jack’s and Libby’s perspectives. Readers learn that the day after Libby’s rescue, Jack snuck into the Strouts’ house and took one of Libby’s six copies of We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Around this time, he also begins to see signs of his prosopagnosia, concluding, “There is something wrong with me” (179). Deciding that Libby would probably understand his struggles better than anyone, he mails the book to Libby’s hospital room with a note stating, “I thought you might want this. I want you to know I’m rooting for you” (183-4).

Conversely, Libby explains the experience from her perspective. She says that her anxiety attack felt like being “suffocated” and “strangled” (169). Libby’s father has called for help, and they tear away the roof of Libby’s house to lift her to safety. Rather than feel embarrassed, Libby is grateful that she is “not going to die in there, in that house” (173). In the hospital, Libby’s doctor, Dr. Weiss, says they need to understand why Libby has had a panic attack and why she has gained weight.