Words have the power—the inexplicable ability—to do any thing we want them to do. We can use words to do good things unto others; and, unfortunately, we can use words to do harm unto others. The Good News Translation of the Bible says in Proverbs 15:4, “Kind words bring life, but cruel words crush your spirit”. Moreover, actions speak louder than words. I know that may sound too cliché; nevertheless, it is immensely true. Jay Asher demonstrates this truth with his novel 13 Reasons Why. Everything we say and do affects every person around us, regardless of the time we spend with them. Every action and word plays a major role in the lives of those around.

One day after coming home from school, Clay Jensen receives an old shoebox full of cassette tapes, each marked with a number from one to thirteen. As soon as he listens to the first tape, his life changes completely. The voice that emerges is the voice of Hannah Baker, a girl who recently committed suicide by overdosing on pills. Moreover, Hannah Baker was not just any girl to Clay; Hannah was Clay’s dream girl. On tape, Hannah begins to explain the reason(s) for her sending the tapes. She says that the day after she dies would be the day the box would be sent to the first person that she chose to receive the tapes. Every person she chooses to receive the box will understand why he or she will receive this mysterious box of cassettes with her voice narrating her reasons of her death. Every person mentioned in the thirteen tapes constituted her suicide. Thirteen reasons, thirteen people caused her suicide so she says. During the whole afternoon and night, Clay, listening to the tapes, travels to each place Hannah had marked on a map that she sent in the box along with the tapes. Clay dreads to listen to the cassette holding his part of the thirteen reasons for Hannah’s suicide. Yet, at the same time, he desires to unravel the reasons behind the death of the girl he wanted with all his heart. Hannah pours her heart out as she uncovers all her secrets and the secrets of her school alumni.

Jay Asher creates a haunting story with this debut young adult novel. The story of Hannah Baker is one that will make the reader’s skin crawl and leave them trying to process every reason. Asher perfectly times every reason, building so much momentum along the way that reader will be wondering, after reading the novel, how the human heart is capable of awful atrocities against another fellow human being. Likewise, he reveals the sometimes inevitable and irrevocable effects of bullying.

One of the things that I did not enjoy about reading this novel was how Clay Jensen constantly interrupted Hannah’s narrative. Often, he was primarily concerned as to why he was one of the reasons of Hannah’s suicide that I felt frustrated with him for acting narcissistic. At times, I felt as though he did not care about Hannah overall but instead he whined and tried unceasingly to guess the reason for his being included in Hannah’s tapes. “Let Hannah tell you why you are a reason,” I would constantly repeat as I read the novel. I felt that Clay would sometimes take away Hannah’s thunder, so to say. He wanted to become the victim rather than understanding why Hannah committed suicide. Furthermore, when he does discover the truth for his being included in her posthumous cassettes, he tries to blame Hannah for her suicide, which understandably is true; but at the same time, her death would not have happened if not for the thirteen reasons she explains in her tapes.

Jay Asher uses a unique and original technique in his novel of shifting from Clay’s perspective to Hannah’s posthumous perspective. Addtitionally his choosing to use cassette tapes rather than any modern technology, I believe, is one of the reasons this novel is worth reading. His prose is everyday language, nothing complicated. The novel is rather an easy read, but one that is unforgettable. Likewise, the end of Thirteen Reasons Why to me is full of hope—an end that promises a better tomorrow to make things better with those around us.

The film rights of Thirteen Reasons Why have been sold. Selena Gomez has been cast to play Hannah Baker. And Logan Lerman is rumored to play Clay Jensen. However, as of so far, everything concerning the film is under-development.