When Clay comes home from school and finds a package for him sitting on the doorstep, he is curious and thrilled. I mean, who wouldn't be excited about an unexpected package with no return address. Clay begins to wonder if he has a secret admirer and most of all, who sent him the package.

After unwrapping the package, he finds a series of cassette tapes each with a small number written in the corner. When he places the first cassette in the player, an unexpected voice flows from the speakers. The voice is that of Hanna Baker, a girl Clay has long had a crush on. The problem is that Hanna died two weeks ago and that she took her own life. What follows on the tapes is the reasons why Hanna killed herself. Clay can't understand why he would have these tapes and yet, he can't not listen.

Over the next few hours, Clay becomes more and more disolutioned of his fellow students and more confused about what he could have done to be on the tapes.

Thirteen Reasons Why is Jay Asher's first book. He tackles a controversial and prickely subject. The writing is excellent and the reader is pulled along with Clay's distress. At times, I just wanted to shout out loud, NO, just like Clay is doing at the time. The thing I most liked about the novel is that Asher shows how our individual actions affect others even when we mean nothing by a stray comment or look. The novel really gets into what goes on in high school between students and explores why they do the things they do. A really great read.