Review: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

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 doesn't want anything to do with the tapes Hannah Baker made. Hannah is dead. Her secrets should be buried with her.

Then Hannah's voice tells Clay that his name is on her tapes-- and that he is, in some way, responsible for her death.

All through the night, Clay keeps listening. He follows Hannah's recorded words throughout his small town. . .

. . .and what he discovers changes his life forever.


I found myself comparing the book to the television show throughout my reading it. I think because I've seen the show before I read the book, it took a lot out of it for me. I knew what was waiting for me and I already had a sense of my opinions of the characters from what I saw, not by what they're actually portrayed as in the book. I had their actions, faces and feelings in my mind constantly.

That being said, this book isn't bad at all. I loved the format. The pause, play and stop signs that correspond with Clay's listening makes it feel so immersive and as if I'm actually listening and experience everything alongside him. With what this story is trying to tell and portray, I think the fact that it brings the reader in like it does adds so much to the narrative and makes the book so impactful.

The mood established throughout the book is so perfect. So was the imagery and description during Hannah's parts in the tapes. Though it was in the past, it felt as if both Clay and the reader were living life through her eyes, through her new and different perspective; a perspective no one, even the other characters, could see. It feels realistic and just thinking of the book brings me back to the story and I think that speaks for itself on how much the story sticks with you. This embodies what a good book should be and the effect it should have.

Past and present were intertwined flawlessly and easily. At first, I thought it would be hard to have both simultaneously but in the end, it wasn't hard to follow and instead illustrated how the past and present effect one another, which is something I think Asher wanted to be able to depict. 

Another thing I surprisingly enjoyed was the fact that since the book was in Clay Jensen's perspective, he tended to use his thoughts to talk directly to Hannah. He said 'you' to the reader as if we were Hannah Baker. It's hard to explain exactly why I liked it so much. Maybe I liked that he still talked to her, even in his own mind, which I think is something common. Maybe it was because it personified her and who she was in his mind and in his life. Especially, at times, I felt that this served as a way for Clay to echo the reader's thoughts and opinions on events, actions and Hannah herself. At least, I felt like my thoughts were represented. Either way, that small detail made the book that much more interesting for me.

For the parts I didn't really enjoy, there weren't many. One of the largest problems I found, which I saw even in the television show, was the characterization of Clay. Don't get me wrong, he's a good character and a good guy. But there were moments where he felt annoying and even on the verge of  creepy. He felt like he knew Hannah more than he did and he had an idolization of who he wanted to believe she was like. There are so many instances to this but the one that is most fresh in my mind was when he commented that she didn't need makeup but when he found out she did, he acted surprised as if he knew her well enough for his opinion to be likely correct. He also had this mentality that he could have been her knight in shining armor who could've saved her which is just a little too self-involved for my liking.

The only other thing I found myself disliking while reading was that I felt bored at times. This is probably only during Clay's solo moments but still, the book wasn't as mesmerizing and gripping as I hoped it would be. However, this might have nothing to do with the book and everything to do with me. As I said, I've seen the show already. The show was gripping, mesmerizing, everything. It made me want to never stop watching and hearing about Hannah Baker's story and the aftermath all the other characters had to deal with. So the story may be the same way for someone who is going into it fresh without any prior knowledge of the plot line and character arcs.

Going back to a big positive in the novel, I loved the way that every little action, thought, choice or word had a consequence and an effect to the life of another. I think this was just so realistic something that may not seem like a big deal can impact another's life in the way no one could've predicted. Asher's portrayal of the butterfly effect and how important it is to know how incalculable - imprecise no matter how much we try - our affect can be to other's was powerful and something not many people think about. 

The characters were also so realistic. The varying responses to the tapes, the different actions in the tapes themselves, were so life-like, I felt as if I could pinpoint people in my own life that fit characters in the book and their personalities. Even Clay, who I disliked the most. They felt like real people and I think thats what helped make this book so groundbreaking and shaking for so many people.