Incase you didn’t know, 13 Reasons Why was originally a cult teenage book by Jay Asher. Documenting the life of Hannah Baker, Asher’s bestselling 2007 young adult novel told the story of brutally honest depictions of teen suicide, depression and grief.
Brian Yorkey, however, decided to make a few huge changes when it came to transporting the book to the small screen.
1. Clay Originally Listened To All The Tapes In One Night.
Some characters have commented on Clay’s lack of urgency when it comes to listening to the tapes. In the original book, Clay binges them in one sitting but in the TV show, Tony tells Clay he’s “the slowest yet”.
2. Social Media Isn’t A Factor.
Websites such as Facebook and Twitter were definitely around in 2007, but they hadn’t yet become all consuming. There are references to Clay’s mobile phone, but the photos of Hannah and Tyler that got circulated around the school were only word-of-mouth gossip in the book.
3. Clay Didn’t Have Hallucinations Of Hannah.
Some of the more distressing scenes in the TV show come from Clay’s hallucinations. He sees Hannah bleeding out in the middle of the gym and at the school dance. This doesn’t happen at all in the book.
4. Clay’s Injury Is Different.
Instead of being involved in a bit of an incident with a car, he gets a nasty cut on his hand from a fence in the book.
