Title: Thirteen Reason Why
Author: Jay Asher
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Publication Date: June 14th 2011
Publisher: Razorbill
Pages: 288
Synopsis:
You can't stop the future. You can't rewind the past. The only way to learn the secret. . . is to press play.My Rating:
Clay Jensen doesn't want anything to do with the tapes Hannah Baker made. Hannah is dead. Her secrets should be buried with her.
Then Hannah's voice tells Clay that his name is on her tapes-- and that he is, in some way, responsible for her death.
All through the night, Clay keeps listening. He follows Hannah's recorded words throughout his small town. . .
. . .and what he discovers changes his life forever.
Review:
Thirteen Reasons Why is a novel that will most likely captivate you and leave you feeling a bit dazed after you've finished it. At least, that's how it was for me. What I liked most about this book was its originality; the idea of passing around audiotapes that have been recorded by someone no longer living does sound morbid, but I found that the writing and the story itself distracted away from the initial premise.
For starters, I actually ended up liking Hannah. I can understand why someone would not like her because killing yourself and sending audiotapes to make those left behind feel guilty does sound morbid and selfish, but I honestly didn't see that way. Yes, at the beginning, I thought Hannah was a little snarky, but as the story progressed I found myself becoming more and more enveloped in her story, and her reactions, and her thoughts. By the end, my heart was breaking for her.
While we don't hear as much from Clay, I really liked his character. I felt awful for him, considering how great of a guy he was and how genuine his feelings were for Hannah. I also liked how he would interject and speak to Hannah in his mind, telling her she could have prevented this and that it didn't need to happen. Before he takes the blame for anything, he realizes how in control of her own life Hannah actually was and how, ultimately, what she did was her own decision. For me, these reactions made the story seem more real.
For those saying that Hannah's reasons for killing herself were stupid, keep in mind that they aren't your reasons, they are hers. Those reasons were enough for her to end her life. It was to show the reader that despite what you may think in the moment, suicide is never the answer and there is more to live for. Asher doesn't want Hannah to appear strong for that would defeat the purpose of his novel.
This story was amazing. It was emotional and heavy, but also moving and beyond memorable. I feel grateful to have read this book and cannot say nearly enough about how highly I think of Asher's writing and technique and his amazing gift for story telling. I may not be able to look back at this book and want to re-read it over and over again, it's just not that type of book. But I also can't bear to part with it. I'm not sure I'll ever read another that can even come close to being it's equal. I will never forget Hannah's story.
Listen to Hannah's Tapes
“No one knows for certain how much impact they have on the lives of other people. Oftentimes, we have no clue. Yet we push it just the same.”
Precise, understandable.. Hannah
-Alex
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