{Synopsis} – 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.
{My thoughts} – I have this neat little habit of not completely reading a books description before I decide if I want to read it. I do this so that the story can pull me in and not the description which in some cases with some books has completely torn me away from the desire to read them. This book was amazing that’s for sure and I can understand Hannah’s view on life.
This book is about teenage suicide. Hannah Baker kills herself by Overdosing on non-specified pills. When she finally decides it’s what she wants to do she goes about making a list of all the people that brought her to her decision. All the people that had made her feel like life was no longer worth living. All the people that had wronged her. Once she makes that list then she goes about making tape records for each of these people to listen to once she’s gone. She wants everyone to know what they did to her and how they helped shape the choice she made to end her life.
I have to admit the way this story is written is a little odd. It took a bit to get use to reading what Clay (the person listening to the tapes) is saying in thoughts – where Hannah is talking on the tapes and then there are the in between conversations of Clay with others around him as well. Once you are able to follow the format it makes for a really nice read.
Final Conclusion: 5 Star Rating.