Thirteen Reasons Why focuses on the subject of teen suicide.
Hannah Baker, a freshman, has committed suicide. But, why? It is a question that is always asked but many times has no answer. This time, however, Hannah wants a chosen few to have that answer. She wants thirteen people to know how their actions affected her and ultimately caused her to make the decision to end her own life.
Clay Jensen, also a freshman, doesn’t understand why he has received the tapes from Hannah. In his mind, he’s done nothing wrong, certainly nothing serious enough to have been one of the reasons for Hannah’s death. As he listens to the tapes, Clay comes to understand Hannah better. And listening to her voice as she relays each incident and how it made her feel is almost more than he can bear. In the end, he knows what Hannah wanted to say to those thirteen people. It comes across loud and clear.
Although written for a young adult audience, this book is a must read for adults as well. Because the story is told alternately between Hannah and Clay, the audio copy delineates characters better than the books can with use of italics.