A review by creolelitbelle
Thirteen Reasons why by Jay Asher

dark sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I knew how the story would end and Hannah's reasons, because I've already watched the Netflix show in it's entirety. The audiobook is done very well with Clay's confusion and distraught state whole listening and Hannah's emotions throughout telling her story. The book has landed on banned and challenged lists for years due to its topic of suicide (among other issues), but teens especially need to be openly discussing the issue. Teens contemplate, attempt, and even commit suicide often, and I appreciate Asher for using Hannah's voice to show how usually the cause is not one problem but the compounding of multiple life happenings.

The book mostly occurs all in one afternoon, evening, and night as Clay listens to the taped after finding them delivered to his house. He cuts in giving his thoughts on the events as Hannah tells her truths, and for me that added nuance to understanding who Hannah and all the people cast in her reasons are. I love how accurate season 1 of the show is to the book, except it plays out over more than one night. The show stuck with me, and the book will, too, in its own way. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings