Th1rtheen R3asons Why by Jay Asher
The first thought that comes to mind as I finished this book
is, how sad! I sought this book out
because of the popularity from a few years ago on the blogosphere and of course
I’m always a little behind. I knew that
this book was about teenage suicide and that it wasn’t going to be a happy
read, but I also had a strong drawing to this book.
Let’s talk about what drew me to this sad story. Simon (my husband) and I volunteer every year
for Super Summer, a Baptist leadership camp in Texas. As the years have gone on it has become
alarming how many young girl students have admitted to having suicidal thoughts
or have actually attempted suicide. As
the popularity of this novel came more apparent, I knew I wanted to read
it. I have actually picked it up at
Books A Million several times pondering on if I should buy it or not. Of course my cheaper side wins and I
requested it from the Library. I am so glad
that I finally read this book and watched the story unfold.
I hated how everything went wrong in Hannah Baker’s life,
the connections between characters was drawn out dramatically and it kept me
wanting more. It was hard to stop
reading at night and it’s been a while since I have had that “problem.” I think that the reason for my attention
being sucked into the book is because the book takes place right after Clay
Jensen gets home from school and ends the very next morning. It is a very eventful evening for Clay as he
listens to 13 sides to audio cassette tapes of Hannah Baker’s voice telling
each person why they are on these tapes.
Each side to a tape has a story of what that person did to Hannah that
made the decision to end her life. Of
course Clay cannot think of any reason why he would be one of the people to
help her decide. As he journeys though
the tapes and that fateful night, he learns more about Hannah than he did in
the 3 years of high school together. Of
course he realizes at this point that it is far too late.
Throughout the entire book, I was hoping that Hannah wasn’t
actually dead, since her parents didn’t have a local funeral and no one saw her
body. I guess that technically could be
true, but I don’t think it was. My
favorite reason for enjoying this book was the way Jay Asher used Clay and
Hannah’s perspective. We hear Hannah and
also hear Clay and their voices are different and distinct and the way Clay
interacts with Hannah’s recorded voice is heartbreaking and engaging.
If you know or are a parent of teenagers, this is an
excellent book to read. Of course I’m
warning you now, this is a sad read, I wouldn’t feel right without giving a
caution, but surely you knew that a book about a girl that commits suicide is
sad.
I would love to know what you think. Leave me a comment. Thanks for reading!
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