Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

‘13 reasons why’ by Jay Asher is an incredible book which I managed to read within 36 hours.

This book, aimed at older teens, looks at the life of Clay over the space of one evening. Clay receives a mysterious package one day which is filled with lots of tapes from Hannah, Clay’s classmate. Hannah had committed suicide a couple of weeks beforehand, leaving Clay feeling very empty as he didn't know how to cope with the death of someone he hardly knew. On each side of the tapes Clay received, Hannah explained one of the reasons why she had killed herself and who was to blame, hence, the ‘13 reasons why’. The tapes were to be sent between the people spoken about on the tapes, which leads Clay to ask, ‘What did I do which led to Hannah killing herself?’

I loved this book for many different reasons. I have never read a book which has such a unique narrative, the story being told through different story tapes and the interaction the tapes have with the listener. Asher took a very deep and honest look into what Hannah was feeling in the weeks leading up to her suicide, including how it affected her family.

Asher also raises the very important moral question of, ‘How do my actions affect other people?’ No one expects their actions to eventually lead to someone else committing suicide. However, I did have some issues with this aspect of the book. I don't believe that the 13 different people were to blame, even if what they did was awful to Hannah. Hannah was clearly struggling, which was not helped by the other people. No one can be blamed for someone else's suicide. Asher in no way states that this is the case, but I understand how people can misinterpret it.

Just after buying the book I found out that a Netflix series is coming out at the end of this month (31st March) and I am so excited! There are going to be 13 episodes in total, each looking at one of the reasons why. I can’t wait for it to come out!

Rating: 9.5/10

Prayer points:

I pray for people who are feeling how Hannah was feeling. I pray that they get help and God will help them find peace in life.

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