13 Reasons Why is about a girl, Hannah, who commits suicide but she leaves behind 13 tapes. These tapes are her reasons why she committed suicide. The tapes are then sent to every person who had something to do with her suicide and after they listen to the tapes they must be sent to the next person in the story. The book is told through Clay’s perspective, number 9 on Hannah’s list. This book was Jay Asher’s first novel. It has become a big part of teen life. Not only are teenagers reading this book, but adults who interact with teenagers are too. This book has brought a lot of awareness to the seriousness and preventable topic of teen suicide.
The plot was very well developed. It started in the beginning and went in chronological order of the events leading to Hannah’s suicide. A majority of her tapes were about someone hurting her in some way, but the one time it isn’t is when she tells Clay’s story. In Clay’s story she finally felt like herself again and she started to have faith again. Hannah’s and Clay’s characters were the strongest. Clay because the whole book is told through him so we get to see all aspects of his character. Hannah because she is the voice we hear throughout the whole novel and Clay gives us his opinion and other’s opinions of her which helps shape her full character. The big idea my book is centered on is teen suicide. I feel that Asher’s stance is that suicide creates more problems than it solves. I feel that he did accomplish this throughout the book. In the scene where Clay is outside Justin’s house and he runs into Marcus. Marcus offers him a rock to throw at Justin’s window but Clay refuses. In this moment Hannah’s suicide has created problems for Justin. His window has been smashed in over and over again. Hannah’s suicide may have solved her problems but it hurt Justin. I believe this book to be fiction. This book was told through first person narration with out narrator being Clay. The tone of the writing was blunt but depressing. Hannah was very blunt when she explained her reasons. She left nothing to the imagination, she told everything how it was. But Clay was hysterical from her reasons. He couldn’t believe how she could do it. He was shocked and upset. He cried on more than one occasion over her. The writer’s style is best showcased through this quote from after the party Courtney invited Hannah to and after Hannah had dropped off Tyler and she had decided to just drive around town, “I explored alleys and hidden roads I never knew existed. I discovered neighborhoods entirely new to me. And finally… I discovered I was sick of this town and everything in it” (118). This quote shows how throughout the novel Asher made sure each section that was part of the tape was written in the exact way a person would talk. Hannah’s parts always had punctuation that made it easy to hear exactly how her voice would have sounded on the tape; which I liked a lot.
The final rating I gave this book is a B. It was written very well. I loved the idea of the tapes and I’m glad Asher chose Clay to be the narrator. But at the same time I couldn’t relate to Hannah. I didn’t have strong connection with either main character. I just couldn’t get into to book the way I wanted to and the way so many others have told me they did. I just kind of read it and didn’t get much out of it.
