13 Reasons Why Book and Netflix Series Review
There has been so much hype around 13 Reasons Why lately and it deserves every second of it! It is a book by Jay Asher that was turned into a Netflix series last month. The story follows a boy, Clay, who was friends with a girl named Hannah, who committed suicide. Hannah records 13 tapes in which she tells the story of why she killed herself. There are 13 people, each one featured on their own tape. The story picks up when Clay receives the tapes and begins listening. Both the show and the novel are so incredibly suspenseful and dramatic!
The book was amazing, I read it earlier this year and gave it 5/5 stars. I would recommend you read the book first if you do not want to spoil everything for yourself. I personally enjoyed the book more, but that is just because I am not really a TV show type of person. They follow almost the same plot, so it really just depends on personal preference ( I also liked knowing everything and listening to my family guess everything wrong).
There are not too many major differences between the Netflix series and the book. The “past” is nearly identical in both. The future is far more fleshed out in the series, as it follows the characters for a longer time. The book mostly occurs in one day, but the show happens in around a week. By doing this, we get to see the relationships better between the characters and see more of the aftermath of Hannah’s death. There was more drama and interaction between the characters in the Netflix series. The added time in the future added a lot to the story that the book would not have been able to do.
I can completely understand why many people are upset about the depiction of suicide and depression. It does glorify suicide, showing how Hannah got revenge and glory in her death. But the lesson that is taught is so much bigger than that. The main theme is that every action causes a reaction. Each choice we make can affect someone in a negative way and we may not notice the effects. Both the book and the TV show do a beautiful job in getting that point across. It is such an important thing to understand and I know I have been rethinking how I treat people on a daily basis after both reading the story and watching the show.
There is definitely a trigger warning for cutting, suicide, depression, abuse and rape in this show. In the more severe episodes, there is an advisory warning before the show for whatever that episode deals with. Here is a website that goes into detail for each episode and includes the timestamps for the individual things. If you think you might have a problem watching the show, you should go read this before you get into it.
If you are interested in reading the book or watching the show, I would absolutely recommend that you do- just be warned that there is a lot of explicit material, especially as you get closer to the end. The story is stunning and impactful, it makes you think about your own character and the motives that other people might have. Overall, I give the show 4/5 stars and the book 5/5 stars. I really enjoyed it and think they were both worth the time!
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