Thirteen Reasons Why

Hannah Baker, a young teenager who suffers the consequences of being labeled cruelly, commits suicide based on the connections between her and thirteen people.  Before her suicide, Hannah records audiotapes and sends them to thirteen people that she considers guilty for her death. Thirteen Reasons Why reveals the contents of the tapes piece by agonizing piece.  Jay Asher’s Thirteen Reasons Why gripped my attention and induced a horrified yet fascinated feeling within me.

The story takes place in modern day and partly in the high school of a fairly small town.  I easily related to the location and was drawn into the plot a little deeper because of my understanding.  But the story is not limited to the school.  Along with the tapes, each of the thirteen people has received a map from Hannah indicating important places around town where parts of her story have taken place.  These locations include houses where a couple parties occurred as well as a couple restaurants that Hannah used to visit.

Jay Asher wrote the novel in the first person view of Clay Jenson, a fellow student who had a crush on Hannah. Most of the novel, however, is the dialogue of Hannah coming from the tapes Clay is listening to.  This proved to be a clever approach at telling the story of one who is dead through their point of view.

Hannah Baker is a normal kid whose fresh start in a new town dilapidates when someone puts her name under the ‘slut’ category at school.  Hannah tries to make friends and succeeds only to lose them.  Her parents become involved in their work more than their daughter, and Hannah’s life becomes very lonely.  Clay Jenson is known as ‘the nice guy’ and his reputation lacks a single flaw.  He is kind to everyone.  Yet however curious of Hannah and attracted to her he is, he is fearful that her reputation may be true and is scared to talk to her because of this.

Each recipient of the tapes is taught a very valuable lesson.  This lesson, which is the obvious theme of the book, seems to bluntly teach us to always value other people and to be kind to them no matter what their reputation is or what rumors about them exist.  Seemingly, none of the thirteen people picked by Hannah have utilized this morality towards her.  They have let her unfair reputation and false rumors decide their treatment of her.     

            But Clay doesn’t understand why the tapes have reached him.  He has done nothing wrong to Hannah.  Though as he begins to listen and her story untangles itself, he sees the real Hannah and why she did what she did.  People betrayed her and tragedies struck.  The signs of her suicide were apparent, and no one paid attention.  The novel is depressing, but readers are grateful to see the guilty people confronted.

            Thirteen Reasons Why reminded me of The Virgin Suicides because both novels told the bitterness of teenage suicides and the effects they have upon other people.  Thirteen Reasons Why was a fantastic read despite its somberness.  I recommend the read to female teenagers like myself because we can understand Hannah’s feelings perfectly.  This tale captured me and I don’t doubt that you will find the same effect. 

288 pages.