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juushikaTitle: Thirteen Reasons Why (Th1rteen R3easons Why)
Author: Jay Asher
Published: New York: Razorbill, 2007
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 288
Total Page Count: 60,170
Text Number: 173
Read For: reading books about suicide, checked out from the library
Short review: Clay Jensen opens a package to discover several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, a classmate that committed suicide two weeks earlier. The thirteen sides of the tapes describe the snowball effect of rumors and high school life that lead Hannah to kill herself—and one of the sides is addressed to Clay. The interweaving narratives of Hannah's recording and Clay's listening sometimes flows into a confusing muddle, but Thirteen Reasons Why has an ingenious premise which intrigues the reader—and even better, it contains perceptive, intelligent content. This is a captivating and surprisingly sensitive book, and I recommend it.
Asher writes a good book: the premise is ingenious, the characters are realistic, and the narrative is compelling and skillful (if sometimes confusing). Clay doesn't know why Hannah killed herself or why she cites him as one of the causes of her death, so the book's very premise captures the reader and holds him in suspense until the end. (When they finally came, I found the answers to these questions a bit anticlimactic—but I still appreciate the journey to reach them.) Hannah and Clay, as well as the other teenagers that populate the book, are wonderfully realistic—sometimes this traps them in annoying teen behaviors, but it also makes them compelling and sympathetic. Asher interweaves Hannah's tapes with Clay's listening—it can be easy to miss the switch, and going back to reread a few paragraphs breaks up the flow of the book, but on the whole this is a wonderful narrative choice which keeps suspense high and explores the two characters and their relationship in great depth.
Asher writes well, but perhaps even better than his writing is his content. Difficult subjects are old fair in young adult novels, but it is rare to see them handled so well as they are here. Asher does not include taboo subject on a whim or for shock value alone; rather, he is aware of their impact and treats them with respect. Rumors about promiscuity begin the snowball effect that leads to Hannah's suicide, and it is at once refreshing and terrifying to see the impact of sexual activity, social norms, and high school politics on these teens. But Hannah's thirteen reasons do not excuse her from responsibility for her death, and the impact of her suicide lingers in Clay and in the community. The book's message is that actions have consequences—and we all have some control over those consequences. It's a hopeful message but it's terrifying too, and Asher delivers it with aplomb.
For whatever reason, Thirteen Reasons Why didn't blow me away, but I greatly enjoyed it nonetheless. Perhaps the teen voice was too accurate; certainly the constant switches in narration slowed down my reading. I also believe that the secrets—Hannah's final reasons and her connection to Clay—quite live up to all the suspense that proceeds them; I'd like to see more of an adult influence on the characters, and the ending is abrupt. But these quibbles are just that: though imperfections, they don't detract from the book as whole. This is a wonderful debut novel: strongly written, captivating, and intelligent, with unusually perceptive content. It captured and impressed me, and I'm glad to have read it. I highly recommend it—to readers of all ages, although I think it will mean most to high schoolers.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
Author: Jay Asher
Published: New York: Razorbill, 2007
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 288
Total Page Count: 60,170
Text Number: 173
Read For: reading books about suicide, checked out from the library
Short review: Clay Jensen opens a package to discover several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, a classmate that committed suicide two weeks earlier. The thirteen sides of the tapes describe the snowball effect of rumors and high school life that lead Hannah to kill herself—and one of the sides is addressed to Clay. The interweaving narratives of Hannah's recording and Clay's listening sometimes flows into a confusing muddle, but Thirteen Reasons Why has an ingenious premise which intrigues the reader—and even better, it contains perceptive, intelligent content. This is a captivating and surprisingly sensitive book, and I recommend it.
Asher writes a good book: the premise is ingenious, the characters are realistic, and the narrative is compelling and skillful (if sometimes confusing). Clay doesn't know why Hannah killed herself or why she cites him as one of the causes of her death, so the book's very premise captures the reader and holds him in suspense until the end. (When they finally came, I found the answers to these questions a bit anticlimactic—but I still appreciate the journey to reach them.) Hannah and Clay, as well as the other teenagers that populate the book, are wonderfully realistic—sometimes this traps them in annoying teen behaviors, but it also makes them compelling and sympathetic. Asher interweaves Hannah's tapes with Clay's listening—it can be easy to miss the switch, and going back to reread a few paragraphs breaks up the flow of the book, but on the whole this is a wonderful narrative choice which keeps suspense high and explores the two characters and their relationship in great depth.
Asher writes well, but perhaps even better than his writing is his content. Difficult subjects are old fair in young adult novels, but it is rare to see them handled so well as they are here. Asher does not include taboo subject on a whim or for shock value alone; rather, he is aware of their impact and treats them with respect. Rumors about promiscuity begin the snowball effect that leads to Hannah's suicide, and it is at once refreshing and terrifying to see the impact of sexual activity, social norms, and high school politics on these teens. But Hannah's thirteen reasons do not excuse her from responsibility for her death, and the impact of her suicide lingers in Clay and in the community. The book's message is that actions have consequences—and we all have some control over those consequences. It's a hopeful message but it's terrifying too, and Asher delivers it with aplomb.
For whatever reason, Thirteen Reasons Why didn't blow me away, but I greatly enjoyed it nonetheless. Perhaps the teen voice was too accurate; certainly the constant switches in narration slowed down my reading. I also believe that the secrets—Hannah's final reasons and her connection to Clay—quite live up to all the suspense that proceeds them; I'd like to see more of an adult influence on the characters, and the ending is abrupt. But these quibbles are just that: though imperfections, they don't detract from the book as whole. This is a wonderful debut novel: strongly written, captivating, and intelligent, with unusually perceptive content. It captured and impressed me, and I'm glad to have read it. I highly recommend it—to readers of all ages, although I think it will mean most to high schoolers.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
