"Hello, boys and girls. Hannah Baker here. Live and in stereo...No return engagements. No encore. And this time absolutely no requests...I hope you're ready, because I'm about to tell you the story of my life. More specifically, why my life ended. And if you're listening to one of these tapes, you're one of the reasons why...I'm not saying which tape brings you into the story. But fear not, if you received this lovely little box, your name will pop up...I promise."
That's how Side A of Cassete #1 begins. Of what, you ask? Of the audiotapes that a girl named Hannah Baker left behind after her suicide. Two weeks later, those tapes ended up on Clay Jensen's porch, a boy who happened to have a crush on Hannah before she swallowed a handful of pills.
There are 7 tapes in all, 13 sides, each side describing one of the reasons why Hannah ended her life; and one map, with red stars on places that were relevant to those reasons. Using the tapes and the map, in one night Clay Jensen journeys through his town and becomes a witness to Hannah's pain and learns the truth about himself and twelve other people who are now connected forever by the tapes.
Some of the things discussed in this book aren't really for kids 13 or under, or might just be above their heads. Besides that, this book still gets 5/5 for being amazing.
review by katie gisi *****
I've heard great things about this novel and look forward to reading it -- thanks for your review!
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