Author Spotlight: 'Thirteen Reasons Why' By Jay Asher
Posted by alli on 07-30-2008
Today's spotlight is on Jay Asher, author of Thirteen Reasons Why — a tough look at one girl's suicide and the interconnected events leading up to it. The story is told from Hannah's point of view. Before she kills herself, she prepares a series of tapes for each person involved in her life leading up to her suicide. The tapes describe how that person's behavior directly affected her deadly decision. It's heavy, but an interesting approach to a very serious issue. Not only does it offer insight into what a suicidal person is thinking and feeling, it illustrates the many ways in which our actions can potentially impact others.
I got a chance to interview the author, Jay Asher, and find out more about how this book came to be.
YPulse Books: What inspired you to write Thirteen Reasons Why?
Jay Asher: This is a two-part answer:
1. For years, I'd wanted to write a book with two simultaneous narratives, with one narrator giving sort of an audiotour of their town to the other narrator. That idea came after I took an audiotour of a King Tut's tomb mock-up. But I was only interested in writing humorous books at the time, and I couldn't come up with any funny stories which needed to be told that way.
2. A close relative of mine attempted suicide when she was the same age as Hannah. Thankfully, she survived. Over the years, she and I discussed her frame of mind at the time…and how, looking back, she can now see some of the events in her life differently.
One morning, both of those ideas merged, and I quickly wrote the first 10 pages of this book.
YPB: In Thirteen Reasons Why we know that the main character is already dead. (I kept hoping some twist would occur that would change the direction of the plot, and that she wouldn't die after all.) Why did you choose to write it in this style…looking back at, but simultaneously leading up to an event?
JA: I don't know if the book could have been written any other way. If I wrote it without looking back, it would've been solely from Hannah's perspective as she was recording the tapes. Or, without the tapes, it would just be her having these different experiences. But I thought having the second narrator…a second perspective…was important.
YPB: As a man, what was it like to write from a female's point of view? What were some of the challenges, if any?
JA: For whatever reason, Hannah's voice was never a struggle for me. The way she spoke was very clear the moment she popped into my head. But when it came time to figure out what happened to her, I spent a lot of time talking to my wife and two female writing partners. Because of that, gossip and rumors became a much bigger part of the story than if I'd written it based purely on my own ideas of what high school can be like for females.
YPB: Have you ever thought of writing a sequel? I'd love to hear some of the others involved recall the events leading up to Hannah's suicide — sort of "Roshomon" style? (Not that I don't believe her account, but because of the nature of your storytelling already established…with many people involved in the outcome of one event.)
JA: I've definitely thought of writing a sequel. If that happens, it won't be for a while…and only if that story feels natural all on its own. But I do think there are a lot more sides to this story that could be told.
YPB: What kind of research did you do on the issue of teenage suicide?
JA: Before I began writing the book, I'd gone to some local suicide prevention forums. But I left most of my book research till I was almost done writing Hannah's story to make sure I wasn't forcing her to do things out of character. Then, after reading some books on the signs often shown by suicidal individuals, I went back and put a little more emphasis on certain aspects of her thoughts and actions.
YPB: What can people do to help someone they think is contemplating suicide? Is there any one big indicator that will help identify someone in need?
JA: The most important thing is to let them know they can feel comfortable talking to you. For a lot of people contemplating suicide, they just can't see the people around them who really do care. And because suicide can be difficult to talk about, it can be uncomfortable to approach even our closest friends and tell them we're concerned about them. But that's so important!
There isn't one big indicator of someone in need, but common sense will usually clue us in that something's wrong. But like I said, because suicide has such a stigma to it, it's tempting to shrug off these signs as just a phase. Things like a sudden drop in grades, someone who used to be social no longer wanting to go out, or a drastic change in appearance can be signs of a person struggling.
YPB: What are you currently working on?
JA: I'm working on another novel for teens. It will be a little more lighthearted than Thirteen Reasons Why, but I'm excited about it!
YPB: It is such an important topic and this is such an interesting and creative treatment of it. Thank you, Jay. We look forward to your next book.
