woensdag 3 augustus 2011

50 Books Challenge 2011 - # 42: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Title: Thirteen Reasons Why
Author: Jay Asher
Story: 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.
Start: august 2nd 2011
End: august 3rd 2011
Comment: This is not just an ordinary book. I had expectations, but I didn't think I would turn out to be one of the best books I read in 2011. Clay receives seven audiotapes, from an unknown sender. When he starts listening to them, he realizes that the voice is of the late Hannah Baker, who committed suicide not so long ago. The story doesn't have a very long introduction, you get sucked in from the beginning. Clay starts listening to the tapes and from that moment the book has the same effect on you as it has on Clay while hearing Hannah's story. The story grabs you and doesn't let you go. Not even when I closed the book or after I finished it. Suicide is a very heavy theme, especially when it involves a teenager. To an outsider, the events in Hannahs life weren't all that shocking. For a teenager as troubled as Hannah, these events all together made her to the girl she became and eventually ending her life. A lot of people didn't take her problems seriously, but a single innocent rumor or lie changed everything for her. Clay was the only one that truly wanted to help her and saw the real Hannah. Clay is easy to sympathize, a kind and likeable character. So is Hannah. She was misunderstood, but a beautiful human being who was disappointed in the people around her. The writing itself isn't groundbreaking, but the way it was conducted was brilliant and very powerful. The pacing is perfect, I literally couldn't put it down. Once you're in the story, you can't leave it. A great debut novel by the very talented Jay Asher.
Rating: 5/ 5

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