Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Release: December 27th 2016
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Razorbill
Source: Amazon
Thirteen Reasons Why Synopsis:
You can’t stop the future.
You can’t rewind the past.
The only way to learn the secret . . . is to press play.
Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker–his classmate and crush–who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah’s voice tells him that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he’ll find out why.
Clay spends the night crisscrossing his town with Hannah as his guide. He becomes a firsthand witness to Hannah’s pain, and as he follows Hannah’s recorded words throughout his town, what he discovers changes his life forever.
Review:
Watch my video review of Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher!
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZTKlQemSJI[/embedyt]
I saw the Netflix series and I really enjoyed it, so I was curious to see how the book would turn out to be. You know how they say that the book is always better than the TV/Movie adaptation? I always thought that was true, but I have to disagree in this scenario. For once, the TV series was much better than the book. Before starting my comparison with the TV series, let me give my thoughts only on the book. I had mixed feelings about this novel.
Let me start with the positive. The book itself is fairly easy and quick to read, and is written in a very captivating manner. I really loved Jay Asher’s style of writing as I thought the writing was fluid and concise. Moreover, I also like the style of narration told through dialogues between Clay’s thoughts and Hannah’s dialogues in the tapes, as it felt easier to relate to the characters. I also liked Clay as the main character and could completely relate to what he was going through. However, that is probably the only positive thing I can say about this novel.
Now coming to Hannah. I am sorry but Hannah was annoying and very whiny. Don’t get me wrong. I could empathize with what she was feeling what she was going through and know she went through some pretty crappy situations in the first half. However, in the second half of the book, probably from the 7th tape onward, I felt that she was just letting herself into the situation and using it as another excuse to commit suicide. For example, when she goes to the party and sees Bruce in the hot tub, she knows what could happen. She knows how dangerous they are, and yet she does not do anything to stop it.
Also, Hannah knows that she is not strong enough and cannot speak out about it, so why does she keep getting mixed up with the wrong crowd to be disappointed all over again? If she knows that she cannot stand up for herself, she needs to seek help professionally or rely on a friend she can trust. I feel Hannah was really dumb on how she thought she could try to befriend people like Marcus and Ryan, knowing their reputation. Also, there are so many instances where she could have turned out to Clay, knowing what kind of a person he is and how he can help her, but she doesn’t say anything. I could really feel Clay’s frustration when he thinks that Hannah did not say anything.
Coming to my thoughts on the book vs. the TV series. I think the TV series is much better because it given more history behind all the characters, not just Hannah. You get to learn more about Justin, Jessica and Alex and understand the complexities of all the characters, instead of just listening to Hannah’s perspective in the book. In fact, I found Courtney’s character to be more interesting and dynamic in the TV series than the novel.
Having said that, I do think this is an important book to read as it starts a discussion on how serious suicide is as a topic and what you think you can do to help a loved one from going through it. Even though this book (and the TV series) somewhat glamorizes suicide, you need to seek help if you are having thoughts about it. Bullying or abuse in any form cannot be tolerated, and if you see someone going through this, please spend time to help them through the situation.
Overall, “13 reasons why” is a quick and easy read, but fails in its execution. I give it a rating of 3/5 stars.
