The loss of a loved one is something that everyone hates to think of. The thought of having someone you love being killed is brutal. But having one of your loved ones commit suicide is one of the hardest ways to lose someone. A high school student in nice small town named Clay Jensen is experiencing that exact feeling in Jay Asher’s first novel, Thirteen Reasons Why. The novel talks about how Clay received a box of cassette tapes two weeks after his classmate and crush, young 16 year old Hannah Baker, sent out recordings of thirteen specific people played a part in her suicide. Clay isn’t the first “reason” to receive the tape; he was actually the ninth person. Yet the story is told through his perspective as he ends up listening to all thirteen of the tapes.
Throughout the tapes, Hannah talks about thirteen people. Justin, who was her first kiss, is the start of the cassettes, he let a girl named Jessica, gets raped by a guy named Bryce Walker. A guy named Alex that put her on his hot or not list is another person she blames. Jessica, one of Hannah’s first friends that she made when she moved to her new neighborhood, actually isn’t really her friend. Hannah also had a stalker named Tyler who followed her, taking pictures of her. A girl named Courtney who was really a nice girl but used Hannah as her chauffeur. A guy named Marcus, who stood her up on a date to a local café, was also included on the cassette tapes. Zach was a guy that was at the local café with Hannah and Marcus, who took her notes that she had that, discussed her contemplating suicide. Ryan who wasn’t aware of his doings published one of Hannah’s poems in the school newspaper even though he didn’t know that it was stolen. But when it came down to Clay Jensen, Hannah didn’t really blame him. She basically wanted to say that she was sorry for not really getting to know Clay. Jenny Kurtz, a cheerleader who offered Hannah a ride home after the party where Hannah and Clay hooked up, yet she drove off of the road, resulting in the death of a senior. Bryce Walker was the guy that raped Hannah’s friend Jessica, but he also had a sort of hot tub scene with Hannah. But the last of the reasons stemmed from a teacher named Mr. Porter who allowed Hannah to leave the counselor’s office after she had told him that she was planning on killing herself.
This novel is a very emotional and intriguing type of book that readers could get drawn into very quickly whether you are a boy or girl, young or old. Thirteen Reasons Why is a very easy read for people who enjoy suspense and conflict with life, death, and relationships. So over all, this book deserves four and a half out of five stars. It wasn’t my personal favorite, but I would definitely not mind reading it again.