Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers thirteen 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.
Source: Reviewer purchased book
My Review
This book was a hard pill to swallow. It was beautifully haunting and I couldn't stop turning the pages. It started off with my need to know what was so bad that Hannah felt the need to take her life. It couldn't be that bad, right? Wrong. This book goes to show you that everyone's actions have a reaction, especially in Hannah's case. She records her reasons for taking her life along with the names of the people who contributed to that decision. I almost forgot how teenager's operate. High school can be a cruel world for some and it will chew you up and spit you out.
Clay is the next person to get the tapes and he doesn't believe he had any part in Hannah's demise. Of course I'm not going to tell you whether or not that is true. You will have to read this compelling mystery for yourself. I really had a hard time finishing it because of the recent death of a good friend. Death is not something I'm comfortable with. No one is really comfortable with it but reading it is a different story. It brings up so many emotions. This book left me heartbroken and enlightened, if that's at all possible. I would definitely recommend this book to older teens and adults.
