Plot[edit]

Clay Jensen, a quiet, shy high school student, returns home from school one day to find a package
from an anonymous person sitting on his doorstep. Upon opening it, he discovers that it is a shoe
box containing seven cassette tapes recorded by the late Hannah Baker, his classmate and
emotionally damaged crush who recently committed suicide by taking a handful of pills. 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, starting from the one involved in the first story to the last. On the tapes,
Hannah explains to twelve people how they played a role in her death, by giving thirteen reasons (for
one of the people Hannah poses two reasons for her death) explaining why she took her life.
Hannah has given a second set of tapes to one of their classmates, the identity of whom Clay later
discovers, and warns the people on the tapes that if they do not pass them on, the second set will be
leaked to the entire student body.
Through the audio narrative, Hannah reveals her pain and suffering during a downward spiral into
depression that ultimately leads to her death. She lists her first kiss, two former friends, a peeping
Tom, a liar, a goof who takes advantage of her, a hater, a thief who steals her poems, a member of
the list that had already been mentioned, a cheerleader who crashes into a stop sign, a guy she had
a sexual encounter with, the guidance counselor, and Clay himself. It all started with a rumor, which
sparked a snowball effect. As time went on, the snowball became larger, as did the lies that came
with it. They all thought their actions were harmless, but they were wrong. At the time, never knew of
the repercussions that could have happened. Hannah's tapes will haunt them forever and show them
that every action has an unimagined effect on someone, whether they like it or not.
Clay's friend, Tony, is found to have kept the second set of tapes to be released if they don't comply
with her rules. Clay then passes the tapes on to Jenny, after discovering that he was not involved in
Hannah's death and she did not blame him.
The first to receive the list is Justin. He was a year older than Hannah, and her first crush in her new
town. Justin was Hannah's first kiss. She describes having a reoccurring dream of her sliding down a
slide in the park and into her kiss. After dreaming about kissing him, she finally kisses him, but Justin
turns it into a rumor that it was a sexual encounter and she earns a low reputation. A rumor travels
around the school that at the park, she got felt up by Justin, which was false. They break up after
one month.
Justin later appears as reason ten of why Hannah killed herself- at the party where Hannah and Clay
bonded and kissed, he allows his friend (presumably Bryce Walker, reason 12) to rape Jessica.
Hannah comes to feel guilty for the rape and is disgusted at the fact that she didn't find the voice to
stop Bryce, nor did Justin.
The second is Alex. Alex wrote a list of people of who was hot or not in the freshman class at her
school. He published the list and it was discovered that Hannah earned the title of the best ass,
ahead of Jessica (who was in the "not" column). It is later revealed that Alex put them together for
revenge against Jessica for embarrassing him at their first meeting at Monet's, a local cafe.
The third is Jessica. As she, Hannah, and Alex were new their freshman year, the three of them
would always meet at Monet's to chat. After Hannah beat her on Alex's list, she slaps her and
scarred her over her eyebrow by digging her nails into Hannah's forehead. People started gossiping
about her once again. The scar is a physical manifestation of the internal scars Hannah feels inside.
She is later raped by Bryce while she is drunk and unconscious. She never would have found out if
not for the tapes.
The fourth is Tyler. Tyler is the peeping Tom, a renowned photographer for the yearbook. He took
photos of her when she was in her room so she invites Courtney over to stop him. After the two girls
mime having a dirty conversation complete with a back rub, they snap open the curtains to see the
figure of Tyler running away. Tyler takes away the safety of Hannah's home, leaving her to feel
trapped.
The fifth is Courtney. Courtney was known as the sweetest girl in school but she started a rumor
about Hannah after they stop the peeping tom. Courtney then uses Hannah to get a ride to a party
and to help keep up her image, for the reason Courtney is nice is because she wants people to vote
her most liked; and to keep her image up. She never had any interest in being Hannah's friend.
The sixth is Marcus, the boy who threw rocks at Tyler's window. After a Valentine's Day program the
school has where you complete a quiz and your results show who your perfect match would be,
Marcus gets Hannah on his list, so he asks Hannah out. When they are on their date at the local
burger place, Rosie's, Marcus tries to take advantage of her though she pushes him away. He calls
her a tease loudly and leaves, angry. This is where Hannah realizes she has no control over her life
anymore and becomes depressed, seriously considering ending her own life.
The seventh is Zach. Zach came up to Hannah when Marcus leaves in an attempt to comfort her
(thought she later realizes he only came because his friends dared him to). He sits next to her for a
little while, though she doesn't talk to him. Soon he stands up and leaves. Then in Hannah's
favourite class, Peer Communications, each student has a pouch at the back of the room where
other people in the class can write down compliments to their classmates and slip them into that
person's bag anonymously. Zach is angry that Hannah didn't speak to him at Rosie's so takes out all
the little slips she is given. Eventually Hannah catches him though he just runs off as if nothing has
happened. She confronts him in the hallways in tears, making a fool of herself. The notes are truly
the only form of contact Hannah has left with most of her classmates, and though she ends up
writing them to herself, she feels that Zach wants her to have no form of encouragement.
In Peer Communications, Hannah leaves an anonymous note for the teacher that she is considering
suicide. The class discusses it, not knowing who had written it. The responses are all tinged with
annoyance until one student says that since the person who wrote the note didn't leave their name,
they couldn't take it seriously.
Eight is Ryan, the editor of the Lost N Found column in the school newspaper. After taking a poetry
class with Hannah, he steals a poem of hers that he puts in his column, called "Soul Alone". English
classes around the school examine it, but people figure out Hannah wrote it and mock her for it,
reading scathing parodies to her before class. Ryan causes Hannah to feel that even her thoughts
aren't hers and aren't safe.
While he is listening to the tapes Tony tells Clay that his story is next and offers to drive him around
while he listens to the tape.
Hannah explains that Clay was probably the nicest person she had met. She never heard anybody
saying anything bad about him. So one night at a party they finally talk after years of knowing each
other, but casually. Hannah says that on that night she and Clay connected. They end up talking for
hours, then eventually going up to a bedroom where they kiss. They stay in the room for a while
though Hannah is scared that Clay will betray her just like Justin. She starts shouting at Clay to
leave her and at first Clay tries to protest, though eventually he just leaves and Hannah breaks down
crying.
Clay is shocked and asks Tony how he got the tapes. He learns that Hannah asked Tony for some
tapes and a tape recorder. Tony gives them to her not knowing why she would need them. Soon he
is mailed the set of tapes on the same day that Hannah dies. There is no note left there though Tony
realizes that he's the second person to be given the tapes and keeps an eye out to see if the tapes
are passed on.
Clay thanks him for driving him around and then Tony leaves to go home while Clay continues to
listen to the tapes. He comes upon number ten, which is again Justin, this time for allowing Bryce to
rape Jessica. Hannah was hiding in a closet and witnessed it but also didn't have the guts to do
anything.
Number eleven is Jenny, the cheerleader who brags to her friends about setting up Marcus and
Hannah. She offers Hannah a ride home after the disastrous party, only to crash into a stop sign.
When Hannah tries to call the police, Jenny, not wanting to get in trouble, kicks her out of the car.
There is a car accident later caused by the missing stop sign which kills a senior at their high-school.
At this point Hannah feels guilty for not calling the police before.
Hannah is depressed, upset, and seriously considering the ways to kill herself when number twelve
comes along. Though Hannah didn't go to Courtney's latest party, she was house-sitting at a house
near Courtney's and ends up at the after party, where Courtney and Bryce are in Courtney's hot tub
in their underwear. Hannah strips to hers and joins them, and Bryce sexually touched Hannah, who
for once feels helpless and gives into her undeserved reputation. Courtney turns a blind eye.
The last reason is Mr. Porter, her English teacher and counselor. Hannah records this conversation,
where she turns to him for help and expresses her thoughts of suicide. He tells her that if she doesn't
want to press charges against Bryce (which she can't), she should simply just move on. Hannah
leaves his office at this and he does nothing to get her back in there, even knowing she wants to kill
herself. The last sentence Hannah says on her tapes is "Thank You".
Clay goes to school the next day unable to stop thinking about Hannah and runs into Skye, his
middle school crush who is showing the signs of suicide. Brushing past a classmate and a class he
knows he should be in, Clay turns to her and says "Skye".
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirteen_Reasons_Why