Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

It’s hard to describe Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher without getting emotionally attached because within the 289 pages that you read or listen too you become a part of the story. I was really looking forward to this book since its debut in 2007 but due to extensive reading lists and projects I had always put this one on the back burner. Something I wish I hadn’t done because Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher is a touching story that makes you think. I know after concluding the audiobook I was left with the thought of how people really can affect one another in the things they do and say. It’s something a lot of us take for granted in this life.

Again, I was able to grab a hold of Thirteen Reasons Why by form of audiobook which I would highly recommend as it is narrated to perfection and also grossly puts you in the main character’s shoes who all the while is listening to cassette tapes left by a dead girl but before we get into that I’ll provide the synopsis:

“Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker - his classmate and crush - who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah's voice tells him that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out why. Clay spends the night crisscrossing his town with Hannah as his guide. He becomes a firsthand witness to Hannah's pain, and learns the truth about himself-a truth he never wanted to face.” - from Amazon.com

As we moved through the stories our dead protagonist Hannah Baker wove you can really get a sense of who she was and how she thought. One story in particular that stood out to me was the second. Where she talked about making friends with two people she never thought of becoming friends with and how ultimately other motives unraveled the relationship. This is something a lot of us can attest too at the starting of unlikely friendships. How people change or how some do not show their true colors.

Clay Jensen was definitely a relatable character as a boy wondering why his crush Hannah Baker could ever commit suicide. Thoughts like, “She seemed so happy,” or “Why didn't she ask for help?” or "If she had only told me" come into play. Clay Jensen is also plagued by the stories and how is it he himself is worked into them.

I never really thought about how someone can affect you even if you’ve only met briefly or how powerful the existence of a person can truly make such an impact. In Thirteen Reasons Why, Jay Asher perfectly lays out the emotions behind these thoughts with good-pacing and wonderful writing. Towards the ending of the audiobook I was left with a feeling of sadness not only for Clay but also Hannah Baker and the trials she faced. I found myself asking, “why”.

Life is short but always worth living. Hannah Baker though a fictional character did not deserve to die but unfortunately everyone realizes that too late. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher is a book you will not forget and that will stick with you long after finishing.

I completely recommend checking out Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher if you’re looking for something different within the Teen genres. Jay Asher most certainly hits a pivotal note within young-adult much like Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak and Wintergirls. Thirteen Reasons Why gets you to think and hopefully to see that words are never lost to those that hear them.

"Everything affects everything." - Hannah Baker