Review: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Synopsis:
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.

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:

I picked up Thirteen Reasons Why because a friend recommended it to me, and I am so glad I did. It was gripping, chilling, and haunting. I thought Asher portrayed suicide very realistically with a series of events leading up to why Hannah to decided to end her life.

The narrator, Clay, is a decent guy. I was in suspense as I was reading because I wanted to know why Hannah put him on one of the tapes. I felt bad for him at times for all of the things he was going through as he listened to the tapes. I liked Clay as a narrator because he seemed to have really cared about Hannah even though he did not know her that well.

I would recommend this book to anyone who can handle it because it is a difficult topic to read. It was an excellent story, and the kind that stays with you long after you finish it. I liked how Asher wrote it so as to incorporate both Clay's and Hannah's voices at the same time. I thought that was very original. In one sentence: Thirteen Reasons Why is brilliant.

Rating: 5/5

Swords are for fighting,