A Punch in The Arm: A Review of Thirteen Reasons Why

It’s not often that you’d get to encounter a book that would make you stop and think about the consequences of one’s actions towards others. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher is exactly that. And then some.

The Premise

The novel starts out pretty simple: it starts with the protagonist, Clay Jensen, finding seven cassette tapes waiting for him, wrapped and mailed anonymously. It turns out that a student at the school sent them to him, as well as to others, in a chain-message fashion. Normally, one would be stoked to receive packages. It just turns out that Hannah Baker, the sender, had killed herself, and the tape contain not lovey-dovey messages of high school sweetness rather, messages detailing the thirteen reasons why she killed herself - reasons pointing to Clay and the others. This then causes Clay to rethink all his actions which, as pointed out by Hannah, influenced her death no matter how harmless they seemed at that time.

Review

As with other novels in the contemporary young-adult fiction sphere today. Thirteen Reasons Why is a lot heavier than the novels of yesteryears, delving on the horrific imagery and topic of death and dying. Honestly, I find myself having difficulty in glossing over the darker aspects of the novel, even in the context of its being fictional. Such, is the power Asher put into his writing, eliciting more than the quintessential clichés and knee-jerks from the book’s readers, young and old alike.

Thirteen Reasons Why is what I’d consider to be an example of a text so overwhelmingly powerful because it is one that everyone can identify with - whether they have contemplated committing suicide or not basing on its dark nature alone. By writing the novel from both the perspectives of Hannah and Clay, Asher helps his readers connect with that of the victim and the bully.

The book affords its readers the liberty of allowing themselves to embrace their imperfections and the terrors that haunt their respective subconscious minds and allows them to see for themselves who they are without pretense.

Thirteen Reasons Why helps us to understand the possible consequences our words and actions could have on someone else. And those consequences don’t just include suicide. Prior to committing suicide, Hannah experienced a decline from a joyful life into one of depression. The betrayal, vengeance, lack of thoughtfulness, and other mistreatments suffered by Hannah have a snowball effect that gradually leads her to view suicide as her only escape. Reflecting upon the severity of the after-effects, the book tells us that it is never enough for us to mitigate our actions and say that the possible consequences are not our fault, especially when the end becomes as terrible as that of Hannah’s.

Concerning the heaviness of the topic presented by the novel, it might be assumed by some that the book is a far off a casual reader’s reach. For one, it might be hard for readers to comprehend the struggles Hannah faced, especially with regards to her inevitable suicide. This stems from the fact that the majority of today’s youths often view suicide as being a fictional event, one that is too far removed from their own realities. Asher bypasses this by allowing his readers see through Hannah’s eyes, giving them a thrill-ride that is all too gritty, sad and all too real

Final Say

This book, despite all the positive inclinations it has towards enlightenment on the heavy topic of suicide, is not without a flaw. It might be too hard to handle for the casual reader but still, it does present a coming-of-age tale, albeit a tragic one, in a new form at the very least.

Thirteen Reasons Why is best described as a literary punch in the arm: it wakes readers up from the drudgery of ordinary life and allows them to see life through a bullying victim’s eyes.

It’s not often that you’d get to encounter a book that would make you stop and think about the consequences of one’s actions towards others. This novelty is exactly that. And more.

Picture is a Screenshot from E-book on my phone.

January 21, 2018 - 5:27 PM