Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
- Pub. Date: October 18, 2007
- Publisher: Razorbill
- Pages: 288
On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list.
Through Hannah and Clay's dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers.
First Line: "Sir?" She repeats. " How soon do you want it to get there?"
Review: Thirteen Reasons Why was something that has been sitting on my shelf for months and I finally picked it up to skim it not knowing that hours later I would be so deeply invested in the book. This book was not a light read. You already know how it's going to end, there was no supernatural event that would bring Hannah back to life, she is dead. You know that from the minute you open up the pages and start reading. There is no climax, or anything it's strictly tapes that have her voice on it telling her reasons on what led her to finally give up on life and kill herself. I'm not going to lie I had a heavy heart reading this book the whole time.
The book was thought provoking, a few times I found myself thinking did she really kill herself over something like that but then I had to remind myself everyone handles things differently and that we all have different breaking points in life. And then to take all those small things and stack them on top of each other, well it can become a mountain of a hell hole for who ever is going through it and in this case that was Hannah.
Clay - we listen to the tapes through his eyes and I liked how Asher developed and had his character grow within listening to those tapes. It was just heartbreaking to know how much he cared and if he had stepped up a little bit more instead of wondering if all those rumors about her were true she might not have taken her life.
Thirteen Reasons Why was dark, haunting, and truly captivating all at once. This is a book that I think should be read in classrooms and by everyone at least once. Even if you think this is not your cup of tea ( Me! I was one of those people ) I highly recommend giving this book a chance.
