I mean, I definitely didn’t like this book. But I knew I wasn’t going to like it going in. Are you familiar with the premise? If not, let me fill you in really quick: the story is basically a young girl who records her thirteen reasons why she is committing suicide on cassette tapes. The tapes get passed around to the thirteen people that are the “reasons.” Pretty terrible, right?
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Published by Razorbill on December 27, 2016
Genres: Contemporary Fiction
Pages: 352
Format: Audiobook
Buy on Amazon, Buy on Barnes & Noble, Buy from The Book Depository
Goodreads
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.
I knew I was going to dislike Thirteen Reasons Why.
But I decided to read it, because I felt like there just had to be something more to it. How could that many people think it’s okay that someone is blaming their suicide on others? So I wanted to see if maybe I read between the lines of the story, I’d find that the message wasn’t as clear as it seems. Maybe the message of the book doesn’t actually condone that behavior?
Here’s what I found after reading it:
- Well pretty much the story is about a girl who is blaming her suicide on 13 different people. Let me say now that while the things that happen to her are sad, they are 100% typical high school experiences. High schoolers are garbage human beings! Guess what?That’s life! I am sure there are high schoolers out there who have experienced much worse, and they’re still walking, talking, functioning human beings. They may have their personal trauma and hurt that they’re dealing with, but the point is that they’re still here.
The main character in this story has a mental illness. No, this is not once addressed. And this is why ultimately I can’t love the book. - But one good thing that this story reminds us is the effects of bullying and that although being kind sometimes isn’t the easiest thing (especially in high school), it is always the best thing. Even those of us who are beyond high school need to be reminded to choose kindness.
- The novel also reminds us that if you see something concerning, STICK YOUR NECK OUT. Too many people sit back and ignore their gut feeling. It is OKAY to check on someone. It is OKAY to ask someone how they’re doing if they look like they’re having a bad day. EVEN IF YOU DON’T KNOW THEM. Little things like that go so far. We have so much ‘stranger danger’ nowadays. Remind yourself that the stranger you’re avoiding is a person JUST LIKE YOU with real happiness and real sadness, too.
- I think the most valuable lesson that was stuffed in this novel (though it was hidden deep — only a few lines addressed it, and they were by our very kind and thoughtful narrator, Clay) was that YOU are responsible for YOUR FEELINGS. NO ONE ELSE. Sorry. This is something I’m super passionate about so I am continuing my rant. Skip if you don’t want to read. You can NOT rely on anyone else to make you happy or understand what you’re going through. It’s so nice when you have those people in your life that you can rely on, but not everyone does, and even if you do have those people, it’s still ultimately up to you to dictate your feelings. Whether that means seeking help, talking to someone, not talking to someone, exercising, reading, meditating, WHATEVER IT IS, you have to make the call.
There are so many things that we aren’t in control of (some people have those things that affect their lives more than others), but the one thing we can always control is how we feel about things. That’s powerful! Don’t ever let anyone take that power away from you.
As an aside, “Thirteen Reasons Why” was made into a Netflix series. I haven’t seen it, and I don’t plan on watching it. Ever.
I honestly thought this would be a 1-star review. But because it gave me so much food for thought, I bumped it up to 2.5 stars. I still didn’t like it, though. The premise alone just irks me so much, because it’s the opposite of one of my most valued principles (self-responsibility). Only you are in charge of you.
Have you read this and/or did you see the series on Netflix? What were your thoughts?
A.S. Thornton has evolved from book blogger to author with a particular fondness for writing forbidden love in ancient deserts. When not writing, she’s caring for dogs and cats as a veterinarian. You’ll never find animals at the center of her writing, though, because those fictional worlds don’t have veterinarians and her literal brain can’t accept that the poor critters would be without parasite prevention. Thornton’s debut, DAUGHTER OF THE SALT KING is available wherever books are sold.
