How are you?
So Netflix recently dropped the TV adaptation to one of my favourite books, 13 Reasons Why. Now, I haven't seen the TV show as I don't have Netflix (I think I'm the only teenager not to have Netflix), but it made me want to pick the book up again as it has been about 4 years since I read it and I have hopefully matured in those 4 years. I still gave it the same rating of 5/5 stars as it holds a special place in my heart. Like all my other reviews, I will be discussing spoilers, so do not read if you do not want to be spoiled.
13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher- Contains Spoilers
Non-Spoiler Thoughts
I'll be honest and say I love this book. I know there is a lot of controversy around this book and I can see why, but this book means a lot to me. I discovered it around the time when someone I know tried to commit suicide. I won't go into details about that as it's way too personal for the internet, but I found an escape route through Clay and Hannah's stories. It showed me that there were other people out there who felt the same as me and that was important. I will reiterate that I can see where people are coming from with being angry and not liking this book. It deals with a very serious subject matter and at times, it doesn't deal with it well. I really can't go into more detail without spoiling it.
Cover Chat
Yes, this image is taken from Google and rightly so as my copy is trashed after I lent it to someone. I do have to say that I like this cover as it doesn't give too much away, and I think that it was the reason I picked it up in the first place.
Opinions
Like I said in my non-spoiler section, this book means a lot to me so my opinions will be slightly biased. I love this book. I picked it up as a 12 year old and now as a more mature reader, I can still love it. It hits you with all the emotions and makes you think that you have to be careful what you do and say to someone as it could lead to events like this.
I think the format 13 Reasons Why is told in is really interesting. As a Creative Writing student, I appreciate "weird" ways to tell stories. It was the format that made this story stick out, I had never read anything like that before. It made the story line feel more emotional.
I do think that reviews stating that Hannah didn't have enough reasons to kill herself are ridiculous. She was bullied, sexually abused and told to get on with her life when she wanted to end it. Those are definitely good enough reasons to want to end your life.
The only thing that I didn't like that much was Clay's belief that he could have saved her. I understand where he is coming from, but it would take more than one person to change a decision like that. In a way, Clay's belief romanticizes suicide. It says that if you find your knight in shining armor, everything will be alright.
So that concludes my review of 13 Reasons Why, let me know what your thoughts were.
Love,
Carenza x
