Clay Jensen, an average, if somewhat shy, California high school student, returns home from school one day to find a box sitting on his doorstep. Upon opening it, he discovers that it is a shoebox containing seven cassette tapes recorded by the late Hannah Baker, his classmate and emotional crush who recently committed suicide. The tapes were initially mailed to one classmate with instructions to pass them from one student to another, in the style of a chain letter. On the tapes, Hannah explains to thirteen people how they played a role in her death, by giving thirteen reasons to explain why she took her life. Curiosity and fear of exposure keep the people on the list listening to the tapes, and through the audio narrative Hannah reveals her pain, and her slide into depression that ultimately leads to her suicide.
The Thirteen Reasons
- #1. Justin Foley, the first boy Hannah had ever kissed, who lies and exaggerates the event saying that they had gone further. This gives Hannah a negative reputation at her new school.
- #2. Alex Standall, the boy who put her down as the "Hottest Ass in the Freshman Class" on his Freshman Class—Who's Hot / Who's Not list. This action perpetuates the reputation of promiscuity, and causes her to become the object of sexual harassment.
- #3. Jessica Davis, one of her first acquaintances. She was jealous of Hannah due to the fact that Hannah had been put on the Hot list and Jessica herself was on the not list. Jessica also liked Alex, assumed the rumors that Justin was perpetuating were true, and abandoned Hannah as a friend.
- #4. Tyler Down, a boy who was peeping in Hannah's window and taking pictures of her. Hannah and another girl (Courtney) attempted to catch him in the act. This causes Hannah to feel unsafe in one of her last sanctuaries, her own home.
- #5. Courtney Crimsen, a girl who most consider nice, who often hurts people unintentionally. Hannah had thought that they had become friends after playfully attempting to catch the stalker/peeping Tom, but Hannah discovers that Courtney, too, has been manufacturing and perpetuating rumors.
- #6. Marcus Cooley, who went on a date with Hannah on Valentine's Day. The date was a joke, but he realized that Hannah might have taken it seriously and went to the diner. When he finds her there, he tries to force her to allow him to touch her in a sexual manner.
- #7. Zach Dempsey, who witnesses the confrontation between Marcus and Hannah, offers assistance, but is rebuffed by Hannah. Possibly out of spite, he later steals her "compliment letters", which were a part of a Peer Communication class, when Hannah was in severe need of positive reinforcement.
- #8. Ryan Shaver, the editor of a school newspaper, who befriended Hannah out of a common interest in poetry, shared private poems with her, and Hannah shared her private poems with him. Ryan published one of Hannah's poems which he had stolen, and her private poem was dissected and ridiculed among the student body.
- #9. Clay Jensen (co-narrator), whom Hannah connected with and fell in love with, but at this point in her life she was having difficulty connecting with anyone on an emotional level. Clay was not on the list, but she sent him the tapes because she regretted never getting the opportunity to know him better. Clay conversely feels guilty that he didn't try harder to understand Hannah, who he had affection for in return.
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- #10. Justin Foley (again), who after leaving Jessica Davis passed out in a bedroom at a party, allows Bryce Walker to enter the room and rape her. Unknown to everyone, Hannah was hiding in the closet, and did not help Jessica either. She holds herself and Justin partially responsible for Jessica's rape.
- #11. Jenny Kurtz, a cheerleader who helped hook Hannah up with Marcus. She was giving Hannah a ride home when she hit and knocked over a stop sign. Jenny refused to report it and, when pressed further, kicked Hannah out of the car. Later that evening, a senior citizen was hurt and a student from their school died in an accident due to the missing stop sign.
- #12. Bryce Walker, who engaged in manual sex with her after another party, ignored her apathy towards him. Hannah consented to this activity to try and force herself to the conclusion that committing suicide was the right choice.
- #13. Mr. Porter, the counselor whom she hinted to about her plans to commit suicide still allowed her to leave his office and failed to follow up properly. His poor advice was the last straw for Hannah.
