Saving 6

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of physical and emotional abuse and substance use.

Music is a motif in the novel that is a key component of Joey and Aoife’s relationship. As they grow their friendship and ultimately start a romantic relationship, music often plays a key part in their time together. As friends, they sit for hours in Aoife’s car, listening to music that they each choose for each other. Then, when Aoife goes over to Joey’s house for the first time, she takes him to his room and plays music to make him more comfortable after their altercation with Marie. Several key moments in their relationship occur on Halloween or New Year’s Eve, with music from the party they are attending as the backdrop.

During one moment in particular, when they sit in Aoife’s car on Christmas Eve, Aoife plays a song that she tells Joey will become their song: “Iris” by Goo Goo Dolls. This song is representative of their feelings for each other, helping to articulate what they are afraid to say as they still struggle with their emotions. With lyrics that read, “You’re the closest to Heaven that I’ll ever be / And I don’t want to go home right now” (Goo Goo Dolls.