Thirteen reasons why by Jay Asher

book: Thirteen Reasons Why
written by: Jay Asher
series?: no series
genres: young adult, drama, romance
pages: 288
publication date: October 18th, 2007
publisher: Razorbill


first thoughts:
After reading 'The Future of us' and loved Jay Asher's way of writing, I knew for sure that everyone was right about his talent for writing, so when I stumbled upon a copy of 13 reasons why in my library I picked it up, and read it in one breath. Or at least, I would have, if that were possible... :)

the book: 
Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers thirteen cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, his classmate and crush who committed suicide two weeks earlier.


On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list.

review:

Oh. My. Gosh. This book is so good!

The main character in this book, Clay, is so greatly developed. His emotions are realistic, he seems like a great guy, and he actually appears to be human and have a heart thumping in his chest. He is a great friend to everyone that gives him a chance to be a friend, he's the good guy. He's the one you can always call, and who will never let anyone hurt you. So what would happen to this good guy that cares about you after you commit suicide? Will he be lost without her? Or will he just move on with his life?

Then there is the other character, Hannah. She's dead, but I just kept on forgetting that. On her tapes she seemed so much alive it was almost terrifying. And all the things that happened to her just kept on making me cry, get angry, and even smile at some points.How could all of that happen to someone?!

The story is told by Hannah and Clay. It's Clay who listens to Hannah's memories. The combination of her memories and the way they made Clay feel was just so wonderfu! I have never read a book that was written in this way that was so good!

The book is about suicide, a subject way more books should be written about, because there are still way too many teens that decide to end their lives. And, here, in the Netherlands, there rests a stigma on the subject suicide, I have no idea how it's in the other parts of the world, but here there is. And books like this could change that! 

The writing style of Jay Asher is terrific. That's what actually made me want to read this book in the first place, his writing style. And, for a debut novel, I think his way of writing is even astonishing. I get that authors change and improve their writing styles after a little time, but his shouldn't change at all!

A book that touched me, a lot, and that will be one of my favourites forever! A recommender for every teen, a realistic and heartbreaking tragedy filled up with a lot of humor.

rating:

5 stars

xo Mar