Thirteen Reason’s Why by Jay Asher, is by far my favorite book in the Teen Fiction genre. I read this book when I was 14 going-on 15 and I loved it.
So here’s the drift. Clay Jenson receives seven cassette tapes from his crush Hannah Baker, except the problem is... Hannah Baker committed suicide a week ago.The town is still in morning, and everyone is still trying to figure out why she did it. When he starts playing the tapes, and as he listens to them, it reveals Hannah Baker’s motive for committing suicide, as no one really knew why. Most of the book follows Clay wandering through the town, going to locations that Hannah mentions on the tapes, almost as if he is retracing her steps and reliving the moments as she talk about them. Along with Clay, you follow the narrative of Hannah as she talks about things the happen to her. She names 13 people, including Clay as the thirteen reasons why she killed herself. Without going into spoilers about each of the “reasons” let’s just say it was a good combination of sexual assault, abuse, betrayal and just out right ignorance that motivated her. It implied that each individual on the tape must send tapes to the next person after them, otherwise, if not, she has given the tapes to another friend who can and will release them some time in the future. This book really goes deep into the life of Hannah Baker and it gives you a good glimpse of a suicide victim’s psyche.
I loved how realistic the book was. It was awkward, uncomfortable, frustrating, depressing and just odd in places. You really feel like these characters are real teenagers. Also it brings a cautionary tale from multiple perspectives. This might hint at why Clay was on the tapes but, from him I got; always look out for warning signs. Hannah had displayed a lot of certain behaviors that a person does show when contemplating suicide. It was very frightening to see how she talked about mortality and how she was going to go through with it. It gave a level of dread when listening to her tapes, because you already know the conclusion, you can hope for help all you want, but it’s too late anyway. Since he was mentioned in the tapes, Clay has an extra level of guilt added to him in the second half of the book.
That’s another thing, Clay is only the seventh person to receive the tapes, out of thirteen, so this is in the middle of things. We even run into some characters mentioned on the tapes, and giving us a glimpse of what they are like or if they are possibly dealing with it. What I loved the most about the book was the ending. Without giving it away, let’s just say this. Jay Asher has said he will not make a sequel to the book because he wants us the readers to imagine what happens next. In high school I actually wrote a fan fiction sequel to the book, but it sucked.
Anyway the topic I wanna encourage in the comments is the teenagers in the book. I am very critical when approaching a teen fiction book, even kid’s books because it’s actually hard to write them. One of the biggest flaws in writing young adult fiction is how you talk to your audience. Many authors will talk to the reader in a way they can understand, and usually it prevents the conflict as very black and white. Its the easy way out and the lazy way out. Asher doesn't do that. He actually leaves the conflicts very ambiguous. You actually find yourself asking whose fault it really is. Could Hannah's suicide have been stopped if someone spoke up? Did these thirteen people push Hannah over the edge? Did she kill herself to hurt everybody or did she really feel it was the only way out?
But these are just my opinions, have you read the book, comment below and look out for more.
P.S. Suicide is a very serious topic. I’ve had my own personal experience with suicide so I am not pulling this out of my ass when I say, it is not the way out. So I want to leave this here. When a person commits suicide, it’s like setting off a grenade, it destroys the lives of the people around him or her. I was lucky to have been saved, but I know a friend who wasn’t. Don’t let that happen to you!!
If a person you care about is showing any signs of suicide, don’t hesitate, help them. Be a friend, be a crying shoulder, be their saving grace. Don’t ever laugh at it or call it selfish!!! Even if it turns out not to be true, is it worth the risk?
If you or a loved one is experiencing such thoughts or showing signs of suicide, call the suicide hotline: 1-800-273-8255, it is anonymous, and available 24/7. Suicide is not the way out.
