“Thirteen Reasons Why” one would love this book

Why would individuals be compelled to end their own lives? What if you were one of the reasons why? The compelling story Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher follows Clay Jensen as he listens to tapes that reveal how small incidents build and consequently lead to suicide.

After school one day, Clay receives an anonymous package containing seven tapes, which turned out to be recorded by Hannah Baker, a classmate of his who recently committed suicide. In the tapes, she explains how 13 people take part in her ultimate decision, also leaving instructions to pass on the tapes to ensure her life was not taken in vain.

Clay is driven to meticulously follow the specified locations on the map accompanied by Hannah’s recordings. Clay strives to understand Hannah as she reveals stories that will make a reader’s heart ache with empathy.

The people involved in the tapes have seemingly small parts, but invariably set the next event in motion, snowballing into one big ball of rumours and chaos. Something that most would see as “no big deal,” a joke, or a small mistreatment, could be a part of something much bigger and unpredictable.

Rumors and lies breed in one’s imagination, only to infect and spread like wildfires from one high school teen to another. In order to justify their actions, the minor characters mentioned within the tapes often said that their actions were “just an excuse to kill herself” in order to wave off the guilt they felt. In many ways, their actions were as “petty” as Hannah had described in the tapes.

Curl up with this 288-page book that will leave readers thoughtful and satisfied. Be sure to read from the front and back cover, because you won’t want to miss a thing. This book deserves four out of five stars because it’s easily relatable to high schoolers and a pleasurable leisurely read.