Book Review: Jay Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why

My only New Year’s resolution this year was to read the small stack of books that I have had by my bed for the last year. The first one on the stack was Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. The book was released in 2007, but I have seen it on many lists over the years, and it is also becoming a Netflix series this March.

The story follows Clay, who finds a box of cassettes tapes on his porch one day after school. Each side of the tapes are numbered, and as he begins to play the first tape, he hears the voice of a girl who committed suicide and her story of how she got to that point. The girl’s name is Hannah and she has a list of people who all interconnect to cause the pain she felt. Clay had feelings for Hannah and never truly got the chance to tell her how he felt, but he can’t help but fear how and why his name is on her list.  

The book delves right into Clay finding the tapes. I liked how there wasn’t a lot of buildup to that moment, it just started off right away. The story takes place over the course of one night, as Clay goes through all the tapes, following a map around town as Hannah’s story pieces itself together. The two perspectives of Clay in the present sharing what he knew and how he feels about what he is learning, and Hannah in the past telling what really happened, made the story well-rounded and more heart-breaking.

What was odd for me though was how the book almost read like a scary movie. My brain couldn’t help but imagine Hannah talking in a creepy voice with suspenseful music playing in the background. It made for an odd reading experience, because I kept trying to force those feelings out of my mind and remember that it isn’t a thriller book, it is a story that focuses on mental heath and the challenges many teenagers are dealt in high school. 

The story reads quickly, with each chapter acting as a new side to the tape. As I closed the book  though, I was somewhat relieved it was over. I liked many aspects of the book, but nothing ever truly hit me emotionally. Maybe it was because I didn’t feel overly connected to the characters, and there was one sad discovery after the next as the reasoning as to why people were on the list came to light. I figured as the tapes continued to play Hannah’s story would hit a climax, but when it came it didn’t make me feel how I anticipated. The story also felt like it wrapped up too quickly at the end and I would have liked to have seen how Clay dealt with the aftermath a bit more. That being said, the theme of the book is undeniably difficult as it deals with a girl’s reasons for committing suicide, and it shows that many small moments or interactions can lead to something bigger. For those reasons though, the mystery aspect and chilling tone of the book just didn’t work for me well because of how dark the subject matter is.