Jay Asher's first novel, about suicide, is told by two narrators. One, Hannah, is dead. She left behind 13 cassette tapes explaining how she reached the decision kill herself. Clay is the other narrator. Clay is one of Hannah's classmates and one of the 13 "reasons" she committed suicide.
Hannah left the tapes with very specific instructions regarding who would listen, and how they would get the tapes. The set-up gave Asher a unique mechanism for telling the story.
The book's backmatter contains a brief Q&A with the author, where he explains a little about the process of writing 13 Reasons, and the message he hopes it sends to readers.
... Basically, even though Hannah admits that the decision to take her life was entirely her own, it's also important to be aware of how we treat others. Even though someone appears to shrug off a sideways comment or not to be affected by a rumor, it's impossible to know everything else going on in that person's life, and how we might be adding to his/her pain.Or as Hannah says in the book, "Everything affects everything."
While the subject matter is about as serious as can be, Thirteen Reasons is quite palatable, even - it sounds bad to say this - quite enjoyable reading.
Thirteen Reasons Why is available in paperback in June 2011.
1 comment:
I really enjoyed this book and thought it was well-written and engaging. But honestly, Hannah's pain did not come through to me enough to justify the ending. Given the fabulous reviews, I was mildly disappointed, even though I liked the book overall.
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