13 Reasons Why

Brief Summary: 

"Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker - his classmate and crush - who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah's voice tells him that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out why. Clay spends the night crisscrossing his town with Hannah as his guide. He becomes a firsthand witness to Hannah's pain, and learns the truth about himself-a truth he never wanted to face." - Amazon

My Review: 

While this book held my attention through it's entirety, I never was able to fully connect with the characters.  There are two stories happening side-by-side and I often found myself wondering whose side I wanted to be on.  Do I take Hannah's side and feel sorry for all of the things that happened to her, or do I side with Clay and feel his pain as he is tortured by by everything Hannah is relaying to him.  It was a tough call.

This book really hit home with me, however, because I had a friend in high school that suffered from suicidal thoughts and I honestly believe that without the support system she had, she would not be with us today.  Hannah is telling her story because she is trying to convey a message of the importance of how you treat others.

This book reminded me that even the smallest and seemingly most insignificant of actions can have a large and irreversible affect on others and I have found myself thinking twice about what I want to say to people.  It is always good to be aware of your actions toward others.

If you are looking for a suspenseful book, this is a good choice.  From the beginning to the end of the book, I was wondering which person would come next and what they had done to Hannah for them to be mentioned in her story.  There was always an unexpected twist in the story.