Summary

Chapter 17 narrates the story of C.Z. while she stages an intervention for Truman. C.Z. is from Boston, a competitive and driven woman who, the narrator claims, never really gave up on Truman, a result of her need to invest in her “champions” (302). After Truman’s appearance on the Siegel Show, C.Z. tries to save Truman, bringing him to her home. She tries to get him to quit his substance abuse cold turkey, but inevitably, Truman finds a way to sneak his alcohol. The rest of the Chapter reads as a show, Truman and C.Z. in the sky, flying to the Midwest for Truman to begin his treatment.

Truman asks C.Z. to tell him a story—her story. C.Z., then going by her real name Lucy Cochrane, was a “debutante extraordinaire” from Boston (308). As a...