13 Reasons Why
Rating: 5 Stars
Version: Hardback
Author: Jay Asher
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Summary:
Clay Jensen returns home from
school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside
he discovers thirteen cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, his classmate
and crush who committed suicide two weeks earlier.
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.
Review:
“Wow.” As I begin
typing, it’s the only word that comes to mind. This book is very powerful in
the sense that you get to see what goes on behind a troubled teens mind.
Unfortunately, most if not all of us can relate to what Hannah Baker
experiences. Who can say they haven’t been the victim of a vicious rumor? I
feel a little guilt even as I say this, but who can also say they are innocent
of believing rumors? Much like everyone else, I have experienced both, so it’s
not hard to imagine what she went through.
Hannah Baker’s story is told through 13 tapes. Each tape is dedicated to a person that played a significant role in her decision to commit suicide. The story follows
protagonist Clay Jensen, a boy who had a crush on Hannah. Shocked to discover he
played a part in her suicide, Clay begins to goes through the tapes. Clay, like
the other twelve, has a map marked with specific locations. These locations are
where you are instructed to go as Hannah tells her story. Its purpose is to
help you think and feel the same way Hannah did. The stories are not randomly
put together, they flow very easily and her pain radiates through the pages.
As I “heard” the
first few tapes, I stuck to the belief that she was going to kill herself over
some silly rumor. However, by the end it was clear it was not just a silly
rumor that killed her, that was simply the starting point. The term snowball
effect is used throughout this story and that’s exactly what the rumor starts.
I’m going to give away a little bit of the story here:
It’s painful to
think of how something so innocent, such as a girl wanting to get her first
kiss, can spiral so terribly out of control. Hannah gets her kiss, but she also
gets more than she bargained for, a boy fictitiously bragging to his buddies. This rumor is what initiated the snowball effect. Linked with other events, her trust, security, hope, and sense of self are all
stolen. Hannah was literally left with nothing. It's really painful to hear Clay's thoughts. You hear how he felt for her, that he really cared and wanted to help her, but she pushed him away.
Despite how this
story sounds, it is not depressing. The latter half has you hooked wanting to
find out what happened or shocked at what people are capable of doing. I caught
myself several times playing along with the story, “I bet she…” or “wow what a
jerk”, or thinking, “I can’t believe that” as my jaw dropped. If anything, I think this
booked helped me to not brush off suicides as easily as I did in the past.
One thing to really think about is how difficult it would be to pass on these tapes. Could you do it? What if you had raped a girl, caused a death, or just been plain mean? Could you mail the tapes to the next person? Hannah was smart when she made backups and threatened to have someone release them publicly if the mailing list was broken. Think of the guilt you would feel and how others (who know) will treat you, but it was either that or let the whole world hear what you did.
One thing to really think about is how difficult it would be to pass on these tapes. Could you do it? What if you had raped a girl, caused a death, or just been plain mean? Could you mail the tapes to the next person? Hannah was smart when she made backups and threatened to have someone release them publicly if the mailing list was broken. Think of the guilt you would feel and how others (who know) will treat you, but it was either that or let the whole world hear what you did.
