Hopeful or harmful literature? Teenage suicide as described in the YA novels Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher, and Looking for Alaska, by John Green

Abstract: Young adult novels about suicide are questioned pieces of literature. Fears of suicide contagion and the perceived unsuitability of such narratives for adolescents lie at the centre of this conflict, which has resulted in the banning of books and other censorship moves. Suicide in literature has been the focus of relatively scarce previous research, and there is a need for further literary criticism. In this essay two such young adult novels, Jay Asher’s Thirteen Reasons Why and John Green’s Looking for Alaska, are analysed and compared with a focus on how suicide is described in them and how teenage readers may respond to them. It is argued that most readers are likely to respond positively to the novels, despite the challenging theme of suicide, and that they are likely to interpret them as hopeful tales that can provide them with examples of the possibility of overcoming grief. Simultaneously, the fact that some readers may have difficulties coping with the theme of suicide is taken into consideration. The essay also deals with how literature can be viewed as a helpful tool for young people to create awareness and discussion about the growing problem of suicide.