Review: Thirteen Reasons Why

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
(Amazon / Goodereads)

Goodreads description:

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers 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.

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This novel took my breath away – I could not put it down until having finished the very last page, and I loved everything about it. First off, the format was a great idea. It was a very original way to let two distinct voices merge, and Jay Asher made it seem effortless.

Both of the main characters are raw and realistic. While I didn’t like Clay too much in the beginning (back when he felt this was all a mistake and he didn’t belong on the list), this seemed like a realistic reaction, and later on I warmed up towards him. Hannah, though, I loved from the beginning on. I liked that Jay Asher didn’t go with classic bullying as the cause for her suicide, but chose a more subtle (but nonetheless hurtful) way of constantly not being appreciated. Her problems seemed like things that could happen to anyone, but showed that if you add them all up, the do affect people greatly. I found it easy to relate to Hannah and I was drawn into the situations she described – so much so that I felt her excitement, her anger and her desperation.

What I admire most in this book is the wide range of emotions it evoked in me. It was sad, obviously, but it was also uplifting. Despite the solemn topic, I could not stop smiling after having finished the novel – the last scene had such a powerful and uplifting effect on me. The book also scared me, to some extent, as I thought I related too Hannah a bit too easily – when she described the thoughts and feelings leading up to her suicide, I felt myself go “I’ve thought that, too,” or “I’ve felt that way, too,” which surprised me as I don’t consider myself a particularly depressed person.

Most of all, though, the novel is thought-provoking. By explaining that little, unimportant things that seemed like no big deal at the time played such a big role in Hannah’s suicide, Jay Asher made me question the way I treat the people around me. He made me think twice about saying or doing something that could be considered hurtful, things I don’t usually pay attention to. I honestly cannot think of anything bad to say about this book.

This is a thought-provoking novel I think everyone should read, even though it isn’t an easy read due to the many issues it addresses. You will not forget this book, as it will make you question the way you treat people. This book could really make a difference. It is both heart-breaking and hopeful and it conveys a beautiful message.