After reading about half of the book, I can barely put it down. So far, we meet a student named Clay Jensen, who one day coming home from school notices a box sitting on his door step. As most curious high schoolers would, he opens the box to see what is inside. Little does he know that this could be the biggest mistake of his life. Inside he finds seven audiotapes. Confused as to who sent him these, and why they were audiotapes. No one had used audiotapes in years! Of course, he begins listening to them and soon realizes that the voice behind the tapes is that of Hannah Baker, a girl that committed suicide a couple weeks earlier. As he continues to listen to the tapes he learns that each side of the tape represents one of the thirteen reasons why she killer herself. Now why does Clay, of all people, get these tapes? He wasn't exactly friends with Hannah, but he wasn't mean to her either. They were just two people that went to the same school, so what's the deal? Well, it turns out that each person who receives the tapes is part of why she killed herself. Shocked to learn this information, Clay begins listening to the tapes, becoming obsessed with figuring out why he received them. The way the author differentiates between the audio Clay is hearing and his thoughts is very unique. Jay Asher, writes from the perspective of Clay, but also includes every single thing he hears from listening to the tapes. As Asher writes,
"He said my name, and when I looked in to his eyes the joking was gone.
I yanked my arm, but his grip was tight.
Across the street, the neon sign of Restless Video flickers erratically" (50).
The way the author changes from italics to regular shows the difference between the audio of the tapes, what Hannah is saying, and everything going through Clay's head as he hears her story. We have still yet to find out why Clay has received these tapes. There is a mystery behind everything, but I am not sure how the author is going to finish off the book with a bang.
I am so glad you are enjoying this book! I read it over a year ago, but still remember how shocked I was by each event. I agree with you about the way it was written, and it truly adds to the flow and interest level of the book. Jay Asher clearly took his time in perfecting each word, especially the words spoken by Hannah. By the end I felt as though I knew her personally, and she was no longer a character in the story. I hope you continue to enjoy it and don't cry too much at the end!
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