Thirteen Reasons Why is a heartrending, fictional story written by Jay Asher, his first published book. It is filled with mystery, drama and suspense. Hannah Baker commited suicide. Clay Jensen, a classmate of Hannah’s is still trying to digest the sudden and heartbreaking news. When Clay returns home from school one day, he finds a mysterious box with his name on it. His entire world and the thoughts about a girl he thought he knew were about to change.
Inside the box, he discovers seven cassette tapes recorded Hannah Baker before she had killed herself.On the tapes, she reveals there are thirteen reasons why she ended her life and Clay is one of them. The series of seven audio tapes are mailed to classmates with instructions to pass them on from one student to another, like a chain letter. If you were one of the unlucky people to receive the tapes, you find out why you became another step closer to Hannah’s suicide. Clay is desperate but frightened to find out how he made the list – what could he have done to drive Hannah to such a drastic end?Through Hannah's recorded voice, her classmates learn the reasons why she decided to take her own life.
Besides Hannah, the reader also sees the story through the eyes of Clay Jensen, creating a more intense viewpoint. I became curious as to why Hannah would have killed herself over a sequence of embarrassing but not quite devastating events, however, I began to recognize that it was part of the point. I started feeling sympathy for Hannah when I realized her depression had to do with the psychology of adolescence.Hannah’s events of what she thought was torture revealed her underlying assumption that every action of other kids in school was about her and that she was somehow central to the student’s attention (in a bad way). This made Hannah become irritated at her over emotional reactions at every small insult.
I think the author did a great job in portraying the potential impact on others for teens to help develop their awareness of what they say and do because you can’t rewind the past. Hannah discusses how she could have still been alive if one event never occurred.She related the situation to a “snowball” effect. One problem led to even bigger problems that became intricately joined together.
When listening to Hannah’s tapes, Clay was curious about something she had said. “You don’t know what goes on in anyone’s life but your own. And when you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re not messing with just that part. Unfortunately, you can’t be that precise and selective.
When you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re messing with their entire life. Everything. . .
affects everything. ”This statement by Hannah helped Clay understand her true feelings and story begins to take form. He uncovers clues that Hannah was trying to let people know. I noticed that the main character, Clay Jensen’s personality changes throughout the story. His attitude towards others changed dramatically when he fully understood to be aware of his actions and words, keeping Hannah and her stories in mind. He found out that sometimes it’s not what you do but what you don’t do that matters.
Clay is shocked at where and why his name comes up in the tapes, when the clues reveal the frightening truth. I enjoyed the ending; because it was unpredictable and had a shocking twist. Although some parts were depressing, I’m sure the author wanted you to feel how Hannah felt. Jay Asher found the perfect balance to make this story serious but inspiring, with a mix of a tragic yet uplifting view. I would not change anything about the book because I thought it had a really interesting and unusual story line but the plot held a great message.
Every page was suspenseful, making me urged to read on. I wouldn’t change the author’s style of writing or how the story was told. I thought it was a unique way for the author to tell the story through Hannah’s tapes, as if you were listening to them yourself, becoming a culprit. I would recommend Thirteen Reasons Why to anybody who enjoys thrilling mystery stories. As to an age group, specifically the young teenage group girl or boy because it has many connections about issues to teenagers that can be related to, either way, it will deeply affect an.
