Why We Broke Up

I recently finished the book Why We Broke Up, written by Daniel Handler. I must confess, I initially bought this book because (please withhold all judgements) of the beautiful, beautiful pictures. You may be put off due to the fact that the book comes only in hardcover, and weights about 25 lbs, but this is beacause the thick, glossy pages are sectioned off with full page, full color, gorgeous paintings documenting the story. The book follows Min, a unique and clever and, despite her hatred of the word, artsy junior, and her relationship with universally revered Ed, a jock if there ever was one. It's strange format is as follows; the book itself is a 300+ letter to Ed, from Min, explaining to him why they broke up. It is attached, as she originally states, to abox filled with seemingly insignificant items that are in fact all related to the epic tale. These are the items (including two bottle caps, a movie ticket, a box of matches, a folded origami note, a rubber band, a high school pennat, a toy truck, a recipe book, an egg cuber, a comb from a motel room, and a pair of ugly earrings) that are depicted in the photos.

I ended up liking this book more than I thought I would. I could relate to Min, and though the book wasn't the most intellectually stimulating, I enjoyed it none the less, and it made a fair few thought provoking points. It is written believably, a stream of words lacking grammar but bursting with emotion and (obviously) angst. I also liked how Min, despite being mind-numbing lay infatuated, didn't drop her brain off sometime in the middle of the relationship, as I have seen many do in my time as I reader. She wasn't so easily pushed over. Now, this is not to say that she remained levelheaded and practically intelligent throughout the book— the reason they broke up was clear to me far before it was to Min. But I think it is especially hard to be objective in situations involving People you know and love.

Overall, I thought this book was highly enjoyable, and I recommend it to anyone. Also if you love coffee (or as Min more accurately refers to it, Life Giving Brew) you will find a character similarly in love with it in its proper state: drowned in cream and sweetened with at least 3 packets of sugar.