Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a package with no return address lying on is porch. Inside he discovers seven cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker - his classmate and crush - who committed suicide two weeks earlier.
Needless to say, Clay's world is thrown of kilter when he receives these tapes. The beautiful Hannah narrates what led to her suicide and names the people who played an important role in her life as well. Anxious and feeling a host of emotions himself, Clay will listen to the tapes and try to figure out where he fits in Hannah's story, and little by little Clay will find out how Hannah's life was one filled with anger, hurt and loneliness despite what many said about her.
Clay will wander around town and follow Hannah's voice as she guides him to the places and people that shook her life. As he listens to the tapes he wishes he could still reach out to Hannah and yell, confirm, do whatever it takes to make her listen but of course it's too late for that. Still, Clay will ultimately find out the thirteen reasons why Hannah chose to end her life.
After listening to the tapes, Clay's life is altered but his won't be the only one as the tapes have to reach all of those people who Hannah has named. Does this mean there will be some vindication for Hannah?
The characters are complex as are the situations. This is a book that will generate lots of questions on issues of culpability, actions, consequences, etc. Were all the students that wronged Hannah being mean? Did some of them even know what they were really doing?
This is one of those books that would be perfect for discussion groups and hopefully open up communication on such a difficult subject. A very good debut novel.
Added 11/07