Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

ISBN: 1595141715
304 pages
published in 1996.

I am really so surprised by this book. I had only heard the best things about it and so when I found a brand new copy at the store for $4 I snatched it up right away. I hadn’t had a chance to read it though until recently due to my busy schedule, but I managed to read the whole thing through on Sunday and had to put it down for a few days after that in order to think it through.

On the one hand, I can see what Asher wished to accomplish with his story — unfortunately, wishes do not always come true, and the reality of the book is a poorly thought-out, badly-messaged mess of an idea. That’s not that it didn’t have potential — it did, especially towards the beginning of the book. However, once I learned more about Hannah & her character, the empathy factor plummeted. Not only were her problems petty at best, but the manner in which she decides to express her feelings is alarming. It’s not just the suicide thing — it’s the fact that everyone else in this novel is responsible for Hannah BUT Hannah. It was suicide, not homicide, and literally every time Hannah recalls being met with a person who seems legitimately concerned for her, she pushes them away in a dramatic sweep of teen angst.

Honestly, if this is the message being sent to young adults about suicide, I am a bit appalled. This book not only glamorizes it, but does so in a way that insists on lining up the other kids in the book by varying degrees of guilt. Yes, Hannah no longer has to deal with being picked on like every other teenager in America, but the people that were in her life now have to deal with a guilt that is entirely undeserved. Kids are stupid. Certainly some of the things done to Hannah were nasty — a couple even downright scary — but nothing out of the realm of commonly heard highschool horror-tales.

The only redeeming quality of the book is its style, which was what lured me into the novel to begin with. It’s disappointing that Asher should fall so far short of the story’s promise.

One Response to 'Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher'

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1. I pretty much agree with your review. The only reason I finished this book is because I wanted to find out who the people were, what they did, etc. But her actual reason for suicide was, pardon me, stupid. I have never really been suicidal but someone once told me that suicidal people simply cannot be rational. Meh. Reading it was a good way to spend a few hours, but it sends a horrible message to impressionable youngsters.

   

   Annie

   4 Jan 10 at 2:27 pm

    

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