Why We Broke Up

by Daniel Handler

Maira Kalman (Illustrator)

I'm telling you why we broke up, Ed. I'm writing it in this letter, the whole truth of why it happened.

Min Green and Ed Slaterton are breaking up, so Min is writing Ed a letter and giving him a box. Inside the box is why they broke up. Two bottle caps, a movie ticket, a folded note, a box of matches, a protractor, books, a toy truck, a pair of ugly earrings, a comb from a motel room, and every other item collected over the course of a giddy, intimate, heartbreaking relationship. Item after item is illustrated and accounted for, and then the box, like a girlfriend, will be dumped.

• ISBN10: 0316127264
• ISBN13: 9780316127264
• Publish Date: 3 December 2013 (first published 1 January 2011)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Little, Brown & Company
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 368
• Language: English

Reviews

[Bianca]

And love, who can say the way it winds. Like a serpent in the garden of our untroubled minds.

[clementine]

There were things about this book that I really, truly loved and things about it that bothered me. I was a huge fan of A Series of Unfortunate Events as a kid, and to this day I'm still very fond of the series as clever, intelligent, well thought out, and entertaining literature for kids. I was really interested to read some of Daniel Handler's other work (under his real name), especially something that is so different from A Series of Unfortunate Events.

A lot of people here don't like the narrative style, but that was one of the things that I found strongest about the book. I thought the prose was really lovely, and it was a very effective method at getting into Min's head. There were times when it was a bit hard to follow, and I suppose it is a bit gimmicky, but I thought it worked well and helped make the book an experience.

I really, really, really liked Ed as a character. As a person, obviously, he's a bit questionable, but I liked that he wasn't just completely awful. He made an effort for Min and he kept an open mind to her different-ness and he had his moments. That was one of the strongest parts of the book for me - the fact that I could understand why Min liked him, even when it was obvious they weren't meant to be. (I mean, aside from the fact that the entire book is a breakup letter so you know that they break up. Like, that's kind of the point.)

Min, on the other hand... huh. Min. To channel Al, I have no opinion on her, or rather I have such conflicting and confusing opinions on her that I essentially don't have one. Handler was, I think, trying to play around with the MPDG archetype here. Min herself says at the end of the book that she's not special or different. But it took too long to get to that point, and it seemed like he was trying too hard to show how DIFFERENT!! and QUIRKY!! Min and her friends were. Al's Bitter Sixteen party really made me roll my eyes. Please stop, dude. I generally don't buy into the "teenagers don't act like that!!" criticism that a lot of people lob at books with teenagers who are intelligent, mature, and witty, because those characters often remind me very strongly of my own friends, who do exist and actually are like that, but I think people are quite justified in saying that about Min and her friends. It's not that they're 100% contrived, but, yeah, they're just a bit too perfectly quirky and witty to be believable.

I liked it, though. I really liked it. Yeah, the characters weren't totally believable, but at the the heart of it was a genuine story written by a guy who obviously remembers high school really well (because, honestly, there was a lot of stuff in there that was so spot-on), and I liked it. It's not perfect, but it's good enough for me.

[rakesandrogues]

My first reaction when I received this book was: wow, that is an awesome title. And then it was: Oh my god, I finally know Lemony Snicket’s real name?! This is Daniel Handler’s young adult debut. And in a Lemony Snicket fashion, this isn’t a fluffy tale with unicorns and rainbows. It’s actually quite depressing. It’s the story of Min and Ed and why they broke up.

I’m just going to take this time right now to give props to the fabulous Maira Kalman, illustrator of the gorgeous gorgeous watercolor illustrations in this book. My copy is an ARC. Unfortunately, I am only graced with a few black and white photographs in the book. LUCKILY, luckily, my ARC had come with these gorgeous postcards that were printed with the illustrations that were to be on the book. I know very little about critiquing art, so I will save all that mumbo-jumbo art talk because it’s not like I can execute. But what I’m trying to say is that the art just fits so well with Min’s story.They are a bit whimsical and they match the flow of Min’s stream-of-consciousness. This is a book you have to buy just because it’s made so well. (Yes, I’ve also seen the final version of this book and I had to pull myself away from Barnes & Noble.)

But unlike, the illustrations, I have to admit that I did have a hard time with the writing style. Stream-of-consciousness is not my favorite. Props to Virginia Woolf and all that, but this prose had way too much flow going on for me. I like periods. Not never-ending sentences. But the writing style does reflect the way some people ramble when they talk. It added a conversational tone to the story, but

But despite the fact I skipped a few paragraphs here and there – Min rambles that much – I couldn’t help but notice how much truth there was in her words. Daniel Handler truly captures what it’s like to be a teen blindingly in love. I knew that Ed would turn out to be Big Trouble – hell-o, the title of the book is WHY WE BROKE UP – but I could totally see why Min would fall so easily for Ed. He’s super charming and he says the right things. All the time. But come on, for a movie buff like Min, she had to know that a jock with a string of slutty ex-girlfriends had to mean bad news. She even realizes this later on. Ed was just a little too good to be true.

And for the record, oh my heart breaks for the best friend, Al. I constantly root for the underdog and this was no exception. Al is just so perceptive. It’s hard not to like him.

I love that we get a little glimpse to what Min is like post-Ed. The ending is hopeful, and I couldn’t help but feel proud of Min for overcoming such a bad break-up but at the same time realizing she has to move on to much better things in life. But at the same time, I wanted a more dramatic Happily Ever After, but that is totally just the romantic in me left unsatisfied.

WHY WE BROKE UP is a fantastic book to give to a friend who just experienced a really bad break-up. Or to an ex-boyfriend who is quite similar to Ed. Those who don’t mind a bittersweet contemporary would most likely enjoy this one as well.

And if you’re curious as to how Lemony Snicket does YA, pick this up. He effortlessly transitions into writing the YA genre and I look forward to reading more of Daniel Handler’s work.

Why I’m Biased: I had high expectations for this book because my friend Tasha loved it so much.