Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher Spoiler-Free Review
Absolutely heart-wrenching. That is the statement I'd use to describe this book. I'm glad that after many years of putting it off, I finally gave in and read this book. I was a little weary at first, due to the topics that are mentioned throughout the novel. Topics like suicide, bullying, rape, and underage drinking as well as substance use. However, I found that Jay Asher was able to touch up on these subjects without it being too factual, dramatic, or morbid, though there were some points throughout my reading where I did feel a bit nauseous.
Thirteen Reason Why starts out with Clay Jenson at the post office about to mail out a box of tapes. We later learn that these are actually Hannah Baker's (who'd taken her own life two weeks prior) suicide tapes, and that on them are thirteen reasons why she decided to commit suicide. The tapes were to be passed around to the thirteen people who were somehow connected to her reasons. When Clay first gets them, he is a little confused because he can't remember doing anything to Hannah that would make him fall into that category. In fact, he believes that he had been nothing but great to her. So, he decides to listen to the tapes, and that is how we, as readers, begin to find out Hannah's story and really understand her as the person she was. We learn about the rumours that had been forged about her, her family life, the betrayals she faced, and the loneliness she felt within herself.
As a reader, I will say that putting this book down became a real challenge for me. Every page I turned answered some of my questions, but also brought even more, irking me to read on. I admit that at some point, I found myself reading well into the morning and I would have kept doing so if I didn't have school the next day.
In conclusion, I thought that this book was very well-written and definitely deserved the hype that surrounded it. I would recommend it to any young adult reader who is looking for a novel that discusses heavy topics (suicide, bullying etc.) in a somewhat light, but realistic, way. Also, for anyone who is looking for a reason to cry, read Thirteen Reasons Why, it will work like a charm, trust me.