Sophia C. reviewed on 5/15/2010 + 289 more book reviews

A museum audio guide provided the clever premise for Jay Asher's gripping but unrealistic debut novel about a teenage suicide "note." Nice guy Clay Jensen finds a mysterious package containing cassette tapes made by Hannah Baker, his classmate and crush from afar, who sent them on chain-letter style to the 13 individuals she connects to her decision to die two weeks ago. There's a bit of blackmail--and literary suspense--involved, as one tries to find out why he made the list, lest a second set of tapes be publicly released if he does not pass them on. Clay dutifully listens and visits the places Hannah mentions as he listens to the entire set, all in one night, and is predictably devastated by Hannah's chronicle of the events that led up to her suicide. The exchange between Hannah's voice and Clay's response are touching. It provides a strong case for the case that suicide notes don't make the survivors feel better, and for us all to be kinder in how we treat others since there's no telling what may trigger someone to travel further down a dark road. However, Hannah is atypical of suicidal teenagers: many are too distraught in their own painful thoughts to plan this type of "revenge." Nonetheless, Thirteen Reasons Why provides a suspenseful story as backdrop for dialogue about an important young adult issue.

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