Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler: Book Review

Ah, yes breakups. Something we've all been through, in some cases something we have caused. But, not usually something someone can write an entire book about. However, in 'Why We Broke Up' Daniel Handler does just that by taking us into the mind of an eccentric teenage girl, a scary place to be. Handler (who may better be known by his pen name Lemony Snicket, author of 'A Series of Unfortunate Events') starts off by introducing us to Min (short for Minerva). Min is "different from other girls." She watches obscure old movies and hangs out with the kids who would be grouped into the "artsy" group. I don't put these things in quotations because I'm a snob (on the contrary,I pretty much was Min in high school), I put them in quotations because this is how Ed, Min's former boyfriend and counterpart to the story, refers to her throughout the book.

Basically, Ed is a 'grade A' jock strap, he plays basketball, is very good looking, and knows it. Suffice to say he would in no way, ever, in any dimension consort with the likes of Min. Of course in the land of fiction, high school caste systems go out the window and we find young Ed and Min chatting it up at a party. Eventually, Min and Ed end up dating, and create a rip in the space-time continuum. The story switches between the present--Min carrying a box of all the things she accumulated over their brief relationship, and the past--said relationship.In the present Min hates Ed's very existence. She shows this by explaining, through lengthy note-written explanations, why each item in the box led to their break up. Each chapter presents a picture of a new item and the explanation that follows lets us see right into the heart of this star-crossed romance. We see how anything from an empty box of matches to a comb can be a tool of destruction in a teenage relationship.

Handler does an excellent job of not only creating a believable teenage ex-girlfriend, but also easily transports us to a world where the hunky jock and "artsy" girl do in fact get together. The story was well written and showed  a fresh way to present a break up story. My only complaint is that the story had  a tendency to drag at times, maybe too many items in the box. As a final thought I have a bit of advice for our lovely character Min, next time buy a pint of Ben and Jerry's and cry it out because I guarantee you......Ed threw that box straight in the trash.

Sites of Interest: Author's Site | Publisher's Site
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers | Published: December 27, 2011

Paperback | 368 pages | ISBN: 978-0316127257

Genre: Young Adult Fiction

Many thanks to the publisher for the complimentary copy for purposes of review.