TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY

TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY by Jay Asher

From the book jacket:

Clay Jensen doesn't want anything to do with the tapes Hannah Baker made.  Hannah is dead.  Her secrets should be buried with her. 

Then Hannah's voice tells Clay that his name is on her tapes - and that he is, in some way, responsible for her death.

All through the night, Clay keeps listening.  He follows Hannah's recorded words throughout his small town...

...and what he discovers changes his life forever.


This was a different book.  Written mainly in two voices - Hannah's from her tapes and Clay's - it followed a strange format.  There would be a section from Hannah immediately followed by Clay's thoughts as he heard the tape.  An interesting format which allowed the reader to be inside Clay's head as he listened.

Hannah blamed herself for not stopping others' actions before they could cause further problems, and she blamed others for not stopping her from her planned suicide.  I didn't feel this blame was warranted, as Hannah kept people away and didn't give them the chance to get to know her and see that she was hurting.

The tapes were to be sent to each person named in order.  The reactions of the others who heard the tapes weren't given in the book, so whether or not Hannah's words had any positive effect on them isn't known.  The book only dealt with Clay and his feelings as he learned more about Hannah.

A depressing book to read on such a beautiful fall day.  Time to find something lighter and happier.