Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Book Details:

Author: Jay Asher
Ages: 13+
Rating: 6/10
Number of Pages: 288
Plot: Clay Jensen arrives home to find a package with his name on it; inside the box he discovers seven cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker - a girl who committed suicide weeks earlier. Through the tapes Clay discovers that there are thirteen reasons, or people, as to why Hannah killed herself - and Clay is one of them. As Clay listens and learns about the girl he came to love he realises that his life, and the twelve other 'reasons' will change forever.

After seeing this book in a bookshop and then reading the reviews on Goodreads, I thought that this book would be one of the best books I have read but it wasn't. I liked the whole idea of the plot, but, in my opinion, I thought that in parts the book was somewhat scary and haunting.
I liked how the writer used Clay as the main character to contrast with Hannah's cassette tapes throughout as the reader gets a real indication into how he did love her. It would have been interesting, however, to have seen what the other characters reactions would have been to the tapes and how Clay reacted to them after finishing the tapes.

'I hope you're ready, because I'm about to tell you the story of my life. More specifically, why my life ended. And if you're listening to these tapes, you're one of the reasons why.' - Hannah

I have never read a book about suicide so I tried to remain open minded, but, after finishing the book I felt as if the writer didn't let the reader get an emotional connection to Hannah, which would probably expect from a book like this. Despite this, because of the ongoing slow pace of the book, I thought the book was a real page turner and after every revelation I just wanted to know more about the journey Hannah and then Clay went on.
I also found it difficult at times to differentiate between the two characters (even though the cassette tape is in italics throughout) because I felt that in some parts Clay's opinions were flat and held little emotion towards Hannah.
Despite the flaws in the novel it was a very thrilling and engaging read which kept the reader in anticipation throughout. The writer, cleverly, doesn't make Hannah the victim and shows that she too has done bad things in the past. Also, in the end Hannah doesn't come across as being bitter (which some may have thought at the beginning of the novel). Overall I would recommend this book to anyone who likes gripping, page-turner novels.

Reviewed by Daisy Wallis