Review: Thirteen Reasons Why

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I will be the first to admit that when I first heard mention of this book around literary circles, I was anything but interested. Having been through quite a few major hard times myself as a teenager, and struggling with more thoughts of self-harm and suicide than I'm willing to admit...interspersed with multiple attempts...this was definitely not the most comfortable book for me to read.

That being said, I surprisingly found I did enjoy watching the show on Netflix. I only watched an episode occasionally...so as to not get too sucked into the concept, but was curious to find out what was the same or different in the book. To be honest...I was torn between giving it 3 stars (liked it) & 4 stars (really liked it). It was a difficult read, but because I watched the show first, I knew generally what was coming...it prepared me.

There are a few changes that are obvious between the two (show and book), but I found myself tearing up in both cases. Not so much for the girl that makes the tapes or the boy listening to them, but the potential relationship that will never come to fruition due to the end result. I know that's actually what this book is about. It's a focus on the choices we each make every day, and how those can cause either positive or negative reactions on those around us.

Let me tell you what this book is NOT about. It was not written to 'glamorize suicide', as many people seem to claim on their reviews here. It was not written to make light of teenage situations and angst...I feel it it was written to bring those issues to light. Believe it or not...despite the warning signs that others might think could mean someone wants to end life...they are not always present. I do feel making a point to mention how some of these can secretly have a negative effect on this girl might really help others realize that it's okay to take note when they notice something troubling those around them to try to prevent this from happening to others.

I'll admit the episode where I actually found myself tearing up on the show was the same as the emotional mark in the book for me...when they arrived at Clay's tape. That was honestly my main reason for wanting to read the book so soon after watching the show...I wanted to know if I would still have the same emotional response to seeing it written on a page. Task accomplished. This book is a hard read for anyone that has struggled with thoughts (and still has off days) of suicide, but I do appreciate the fact it doesn't keep how harmful even the smallest things we do could be on those around us.

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