September Is Suicide Prevention Month

By: Alexandra Calzadilla

Redeeming 6 by Chloe Walsh

Please advise that there will be mentions of suicidal ideation, domestic violence, and drug abuse. 

Joey Lynch’s book Redeeming 6 is the fourth of six books in the Boys of Tommen Series by Chloe Walsh. His story centers around the struggles he faces from living in a home run by his abusive father. After his eldest brother, Darren, left when he turned 18, Joey had to take on the role of being the protector for his four younger siblings and an emotionally unavailable mother. Because of the cards he was dealt, he turned to drugs from a young age to cope with the emotional and physical pain he was enduring. As time went on, his addiction got worse, and he turned to harder substances. When he discovered his girlfriend, Aoife, was pregnant, he chose to try to get clean. Things were starting to get better for Joey until he came home one day and saw his sister, Shannon, unconscious on the floor after their father almost killed her—and then him in the process of defending her. Despite her recovering successfully, Joey blamed himself for what happened and for not being there. This event strained his sobriety, and as the book progresses, he expresses how he sees no road to getting better.

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Joey’s Journey towards a new life 

“Eerily at peace with my decision, I tossed my bag into 

the water and watched as the river swallowed it under 

and washed it away. That could be me. I could just 

disappear” (Walsh 576) 

“It won’t fix anything. . . But what about the people you 

leave behind. . . They’ll never accept it, Joey. It will 

haunt them forever. It haunts me forever” (Walsh 577) 

“You jump and you’re killing more than just yourself. 

ou’re killing everyone that loves you” (Walsh 577) 

“I have a girlfriend and a son to go home to that I 

wouldn’t have if she hadn’t taken a second to talk me 

down from the edge that night” (Walsh 733)

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Reflection

Joey Lynch’s character embodies turning pain into resilience. That night on the ledge, Lizzie Young, his younger sister’s friend, saved his life. From that day on, he made the decision to get better, to get sober. He had so many reasons to keep on living: his siblings, his girlfriend and his son. If Lizzie hadn’t been there to remind him that he had a purpose in life, Joey’s story would have ended.

His story lives on to remind us that it’s okay not to be okay, but it’s also okay to ask for help. He was able to see the light at the end of the tunnel and fight for the reasons he had to live. His experience serves as a reminder that even though it feels like there’s no way out, we all have so much to live for.

If you or anyone you know is struggling, call 988: Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.