Review Detail

Reader reviewed by MssJoss

Clay Jensen is truly a good kid. He is moments away from graduating as the Valedictorian of his class, he doesn't drink or abuse drugs, he chooses staying home on the weekends to study over going to parties, so why then, does he receive a package of tapes from a girl who committed suicide? Why is he on "the list" of people who are supposed to listen to the 13 recordings Hannah Baker has sent explaing why she killed herself? The list of people who played a part in her death.

Throughout the novel, Clay retraces Hannah's steps using the detailed map she has left him. Listening to Hannah's voice on the tapes, Clay spends half of the novel trying to figure out how he is involved and the other half wondering what he could have done to prevent this tragedy.

Hannah shows Clay connections between his classmates and teachers he never could have imagined, and never wanted to know about. Hannah's voice ensures that she will leave a legacy and that she will never be forgotten by the 13 people who will receive her tapes.

Sad, cryptic, gritty, raw, and real, these are just some of the adjectives that describle this novel. There is no cutesy fluff or glossed-over ending, there is no pretty bow on this novel. Asher takes what Mitch Albom did in The Five People You Meet in Heaven, turns it inside out and paints it black. Asher illustrates the ripple effect human beings unknowlingly have on each other in an extremely effective way. Hannah's depiction of her high school experience is so real and honest, readers of all ages can appreciate it and (somewhat frighteningly) relate to it. Hannah helps Clay to realize that the things you don't say, can be just as important as the things you do.

I loved this book, I can't even say it enough. My reading preferences are not typically dark, but I read the book from start to finish, and I am still thinking about the characters in it long afterward. Finally, an honest, detailed, accurate account of the lives of today's teens. So many novels try to make high school look like an episode of Saved by the Bell, but as I am spending more time in actual high schools in my preparation for becoming a teacher, and as I reflect on my own high school experience, this antiquated view is just no longer accurate...if it ever even was. This novel tells the truth and it doesn't insult the intelligence of its teen readers by sugar-coating serious topics like suicide, sexual assault/harassment, peer pressure, rape, and teen drinking. Asher does a wonderful job of showing the male and female perspectives simultaneously. I'll admit, the dual narration took me a few pages to get the hang of, but once I was in, I was hooked. Warning: Do not start this novel unless you have enough time to read all 288 pages.