All About Books with Adrianne

Realistic Fiction Book Review

Asher, J. (2007). Thirteen reasons why. New York: Razorbill.

Hearing a voice from the dead is always eerie, but especially so when that person has committed suicide. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher is the story of Hannah's suicide. In death she wants to be heard in a way that she felt she wasn't while she was living. After her death Hannah has arranged for the people that she felt were responsible for her death to hear why she blames them. The story begins when Clay receives a package on his doorstep. As he realizes what he has in his possession, he contemplates not mailing them to the next person. Hannah has provided for that scenario, and Clay learns that the tapes will be made public if they are not mailed as she wished. The story is narrated by Clay and Hannah. We hear and learn about Hannah through her tapes and we come to know Clay as he reacts to what he hears.

I may be in the minority, but I did not enjoy Thirteen Reasons Why. I did not connect with Hannah and found her to be unsympathetic until the end of the story. I understand that the book was trying to show how many little things can contribute to one big act, but some of it felt forced. I also thought that the relationship that Clay had with his mom was unrealistic. She seems to know that something is going on with him, she absolutely knows that he is lying to her, yet she does not question him in anyway. As the mother of a two teenagers and a preteen, I found this very odd.

I thought the book could be summed up with two sentences on the last page of the book:

"Dozens of faces turn toward me. They recognize me, but they don't see everything." (p. 288)

I think this is how Hannah felt. She was surrounded by many people. They recognized her, and interacted with her, but they had no idea what was going on inside her head. We never know what is going on in anyone's head. Because of this lack of connection, and the incidents that happened to Hannah, she chose to end her own life. Hannah's tapes however to do touch Clay and the book does end on a positive note. Clay will now reach out to another overlooked student:

Two steps behind her, I say her name.

"Skye." (p. 288)

This was a satisfying way to end a book that was so full of sorrow.

I would recommend this book to students 15 and up to read on their own and for students 13 and 14 if they read it with support from and adult.

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