Review: Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler

Title: Why We Broke Up
Author: Daniel Handler
Publication: December 27th 2011 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Genre: YA Contemporary
Source: Owned

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.

-- My Rating --

3.5 / 5 Oscars: Liked it...

-- My Thoughts --

     I have heard a lot about this book and its great writing style. Yes, it was unique. But it was confusing at times, too.
     Min and Ed's love story doesn't start normally. Nor does it end normally. When Min breaks up with Ed, she sends him a letter. A very long letter, talking about the reasons they broke up. She also sends him a box of things. Things that she has collected through the relationship. Things that , to other poeple, might seem quite meaningless, but to Min, hold a story, either good or bad.
     The originality of this idea was evident. I loved the way Daniel Handler added these things to the book, that harbored great stories each. One thing that you will adore in this book is the illustrations. They are so captivating and they create a vivid image in your mind about the characters and the story, in general. 
     At first, this book was confusing. Like, when I read some parts of Min's letter, I couldn't understand how she could dump such a great, lovely guy. But towards the end, everything becomes clear and I knew that I would have done the exact SAME thing as Min did. Poetic with realistic characters and a charming story-line, this book was very much enjoyable...
P.S. I absolutely ADORED Daniel Handler's writing style. It is poetic and amazing. Here are some glimpses:

---

I guess I already loved you then. Doomed like a wineglass knowing it’ll get dropped someday, shoes that’ll be scuffed in no time, the new shirt you’ll soon enough muck up filthy.

---

Your beautiful sister took the rubber band out of your hand and dropped it into mine, a loose worm, lazy snake, wide-open lasso ready to rodeo something.

---

I’m all of them, every last ugly thing in a bad last-minute costume. I’m not different, not at all, not different from any other speck of a thing. I’m a blemished blemish, a ruined ruin, a stained wreck so failed I can’t see what I used to be. 

---

How wrong to think I was anyone else, like thinking grass stains make you a beautiful view, like getting kissed makes you kissable, like feeling warm makes you coffee, like liking movies makes you a director. 

---