Thirteen Reasons Why Review

Title: Thirteen Reasons Why

Author: Jay Asher

Release Date: 6^th August 2009 (UK)

Publisher: Penguin

Clay Jensen returns home to find a strange package with his name on it. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Barker – his classmate and first love – who committed suicide two weeks earlier.

Hannah’s voice explains there are thirteen reasons why she killed herself. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he’ll find out why.

All through the night, Clay keeps listening - and what he discovers changes his life …

Forever.

Thirteen Reasons Why is the story of Hannah Baker and her suicide. Clay Jensen is one in a long number of people who have been sent cassette tapes by Hannah telling them why she decided to end her own life. At first, Hannah experiences the hardships many teenagers do and classroom banter gets out of hand. After a handful of upsetting events, Hannah begins to have suicidal thoughts and opens up to a school guidance counsellor.  However, it seems even he lets Hannah down and things finally spiral out of control as she finds herself unable to open up to anyone.  At times comical but mostly distressing and very emotionally realistic, Thirteen Reasons Why is written as a tragic duologue, but Hannah will never hear Clay’s reply. Throughout the novel Clay becomes more and more desperate to try and get through to Hannah, which makes everything more upsetting, as it is too late for her to hear him.

The story is moving as well as thought provoking, making the reader think about how our everyday actions affect others. Some of the people Hannah mentions on her tapes indirectly affected her, while others have set out to deliberately hurt her. Not only this, but the novel comes as a warning to those who feel they are in Hannah’s position. Clay is devastated by Hannah’s death and his interjections clearly display his determination to put things right. His character shows how, despite Hannah’s feeling that she is alone, there are those out there who care for her and who would have tried to help her had they known the seriousness of the situation. There are always people in life who care about us.

At the end of the book the Q and A for the author, Jay Asher, explains how many of the actions described in the book are based on real events. The audio version of Hannah’s tapes and other media from the book is available at http://www.hannahsreasons.blogspot.com/  which really brings to life elements of Hannah’s story and also gives advice on this serious subject matter. Through the journeys of both Clay and Hannah, the novel shows how everyone’s story is interlinked with others and Clay’s responses to Hannah are particularly harrowing. Overall, the novel is definitely worth reading for its composition as well as its content.  

4/5 Brings to life the reality of how our actions affect others and deals sensitively with a serious subject matter.

If you would like to talk to someone or are concerned about someone else, more information is available at http://www.samaritans.org/ or call 08457 90 90 90 (UK and Northern Ireland).