Book Review: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Hey Guys!

Welcome back. I hope that you are all having a lovely Sunday. For me it is once again time for another book review. This week it is the turn of a book that I have been meaning to read for around 4 years now, but for whatever reason, I haven’t gotten around to buying until recently. The book in question if Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. So, let’s do this.

Firstly, I would highly recommend listening to the audiobook of this one. I started physically reading it, but due to the way in which it is written I was struggling to follow it a bit, so I switched to the audiobook and I enjoyed the book a lot more because of it. the book is written from Clay’s POV, but you are primarily hearing from Hannah. You get a paragraph from Hannah, then Clay interjects with something, then it’s back to Hannah, who is just continuing with what she was saying (she is a recording after all). This just left me struggling to keep up with whose voice was whose. But the audiobook had a female voice actress and a male one, physically switching between the voices and it made a lot more enjoyable to listen to and really helped to keep up with the story. Plus, it also felt kind of fitting, considering the way the story is told.

But to the actual review, I really really like this book. I mean the storyline is completely heart-breaking, but it is also really interesting and well done. I know that this is a really popular book, but I was still worried that it may glorify suicide, but it really didn’t. it handled the topic really well. It didn’t glorify it, it didn’t make light of it, it showed it as it is. This dark, dark thing that is so hard to talk about and that so many people try to ignore. It showed that this is not the ‘easy way out’, but that it is the hardest thing in the world. I just think it handled it well.

I will admit that I am in two minds about the main aspect of the storyline. The idea of the tapes. Half of me agrees that the people receiving them need to hear the truth and need to see that their actions have consequences, but on the other hand I don’t like the fact that it is blaming specific people, who are all part of a bigger picture. I just feel like if this happened in real life, how much being blamed for someone killing themselves could fuck you up. But then again, this is why this story works so well, because it makes you think about this kind of stuff. It makes you look at the topic as you never have before.

I think the thing I liked best about this book was Clay. I am glad that we had the story from his POV and not someone else’s. I just feel like he was the perfect person to hear it from. he was just the perfect filter for the story. He didn’t put too much of himself into it, he just experienced it and sometimes told his side, told us the way that he remembers it.

Overall I can see why this book is as popular today as it was when it was first realised. You really feel for Hannah and Clay. You wish that there was something you could. Considering that this was Asher’s debut novel, it is incredibly good. I am glad that I have finally read it.

4.5 out of 5

There we have it. there is what I thought about Thirteen Reasons Why. Have you read it yet? What did you think about it? I hope that you have enjoyed todays post and I will see you all again soon.