MADreads

Thirteen reasons why not

September 22nd, 2008 Dennis - Central

A young life, full of promise, ended much too soon. By suicide. Teen suicide. In the United States it’s the third leading cause of death among young people aged 15 to 24.  A fact that makes it a topic worth exploring. Something Jay Asher does so painfully and honestly in Thirteen Reasons Why.

High school student Hannah Baker is bright, attractive, someone you’d like to be around. Only she’s not there anymore. Though Hannah is gone, she’s left behind a little going-away present for some of those she’s left behind. A set of cassette tapes naming thirteen people who, in Hannah’s mind, played a part in her decision to end her life. Her tapes are heard by Clay, one of the thirteen people, who receives the tapes in the mail unexpectedly, and spends a torturous night listening to her voice and visiting places in their town where significant (to Hannah) events had transpired. Part of his motivation in listening to the tapes is fear, maybe shame? If he doesn’t listen to the tapes, then send them all on to the person whose “story” follows his, Hannah has arranged for another set of the tapes to be made public. Clay is also motivated to find out why Hannah feels he’s partly responsible for her decision to kill herself.

This was a pretty painful book to read. I kept having to put it down and go back to it later because it was just too much negativity to take in one sitting. Because Hannah’s tape recordings have turned her from an undeserving victim to a pitiless avenger, plotting cruel revenge, even at the cost of her life. And that’s much too high a price to pay.

There’s no question Hannah went through some pretty torturous stuff after transferring to her new school. Being the new kid is never easy. But telling her story in this manner can no longer save her. It can only hurt others. Her story is no longer a tragedy, it’s a revenge fantasy. And it’s a horrible thing she does to herself and to the others in her tragic tale, however deserving of blame they may be. Clay is also a victim here. His perspective of events is often at odds with what Hannah is relating. But he’ll get to find out something than Hannah will never know– that high school is something you can survive.

Also available on compact disc and as a downloadable audio file.

Entry Filed under: Young Adult