Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher

Clay Jensen returns home from school one day to find a mysterious box, with his name on it, lying on the porch. Inside he discovers 13 cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker - his classmate - who committed suicide two weeks earlier. On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she did what she did - and Clay is one of them.

If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list - and it'll change Clay's life forever.

*~*~* 

This book really interested me with the whole idea of the impact you can have on someone's life without even realising it. I really thought I'd get through this book quickly and would be finished it a day or two after I started...it took me a week! 

It was brilliant but it had so much emotion in it I just had to keep stopping and taking a break to gather my thoughts. I even found myself reading the text in two different voices and I imagined Hannah as quite an average girl, not hyper and peppy but no sullen constantly. Half way through I found out that there were actual recordings of Hannah's "Tapes"...I have to say I started reading the next chapter along with the tape. Unfortunately...it wasn't the full tape. It was only a short amount and I had to search to find the right one that I needed! It was very chilling to read along and hear her voice as if I'd been handed the tapes myself but as I said it wasn't the full story so I didn't listen to any more as I read the book. But her voice was very much in my head as I carried on reading the book.

I did really like Clay's innocence while listening to the tapes, every tape that started was the dread that it could be him next...and how did he fit into it all. As the story went on you got to hear (or more read) how his life and Hannah's were more entangled. At first it seems that they met once at a party...then he starts talking about how the work together and as it went on I started to think maybe he played a very large role in her choice and just refused to admit, even to himself, that he may be to blame. I think he was really good as the character that we got to see out of the 13 people.

The end of the book really upset me. It didn't make me cry...more leave me shocked and heart broken...I really can't say any more about that until you've read it yourself and all the time I spent struggling through the first few "tapes" was worth it. 

I'm really not sure why I struggled, maybe it was a personal thing but honestly it will really make me think about what I do and what influence it can have on people...and I suppose thats a sign of a good book if it makes you stop and think, even when you've closed the book.