Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler
on December 27, 2011
Genres: YA Contemporary, YA Romance
Pages: 354
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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.

Catfairy Booktape

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is your classic and angsty breakup mix that Min would totally wallow out to in her room…

Catfairy Thoughts

After reading this book, I feel that Daniel Handler has a talent for what teenage girls go through after going through a breakup. Why We Broke Up left me utterly spent. Each word written by Daniel Handler touched my soul and left me wanting for more. The writing was like a long tortured love poem that I couldn’t put down and each page just flew by and before I knew it the story was unfortunately over. Handler’s writing was so lyrical and intense. I felt like I was transported back to high school when I went through one of my many traumatic breakups. The author perfectly describes the feeling of losing the person that you thought was the one for you, how you fantasize, obsess over every minute detail, and experience you ever had with that person. If I had to read a book about the brain of a teenage girl, then Why We Broke Up is the book to read. 

Catnopsis

The title of the book Why We Broke Up pretty much speaks for itself when you look at the book cover. The book begins with a girl named Minerva Green (She goes by Min.) who just went through an agonizing breakup with the all-star basketball athlete Ed Slaterton. Since the relationship began she collected a bunch of objects (Many completely random objects such as a greasy napkin.) that reminded her of her relationship with Ed. Each object told a story about their love story and how they met. Throughout the book, there are graphics of each object and I fell in love with the artwork of the book! I thought the illustrator Maira Kalman did an amaze job of recapturing the objects and she was able to convey a bittersweet feeling to each object in the story. 

Meet Min played by Katherine Langford (Main character of 13 Reasons Why)

Min is someone who always has her head in the clouds especially since one day she wants to be a director. Min is a person who lives her life in the movies and views romance as this great old timey Hollywood movie. When I was in high school I remember viewing romantic relationships as a Dawson’s Creek/My So-Called Life emotional rollercoaster. (A lot of good that did me!) I love how Min falls in love with the idea of Ed and how much she romanticizes him in her head. Min literally lives in the movies and creates these grand romantic adventures such as following an old lady to her home thinking she is some famous movie star. I love how dramatic she is about everything and how she feels everything so strongly. Min is your classic “drama queen” and every girl in high school can probably relate to being a drama queen in high school one way or another! 

Meet Ed Slaterton played by Brandon Flynn (From 13 Reasons Why)

Ed Slaterton is that popular jock in high school. He is that high school boy with the world at his feet and who cares too dang much about what other people think. In a sense, Ed Slaterton means well but he is your typical high school boy who can’t seem to let go of the popular jock stereotype that he constantly wants to prove himself to be. There were many times where I wanted to smack him right on his forehead (Especially when he kept calling Min “arty” or “different!) and he made me soooo maaad but the representation of him in the book was how a realistic high school boy was like. 

Before the breakup and in the aftermath of the breakup Min has the support of her best friend Al. Al is described as a quirky guy with a pension for yummy gourmet food. Al is jaded and he has his eccentricities like Min does but he is an awesome friend to Min. He is always there for her no matter what and he is about the only one of her friends who really understand Min. He is like a Ducky from Pretty in Pink!

Catfairy Final Thoughts

After reading this book, I was pretty much thrown for a loop especially since the answer was revealed towards the end. I was so mad at Ed and so devastated for Min. This book perfectly exemplifies how fleeting high school love is like and how heartbreaking it could be when the idea of the person you love comes crashing down all around you. If they wrote this book when I was in high school, I know that this would be my go to fictional book after going through my breakups. I wish they had a book like this and this would have made the perfect breakup kit for me along with the No Doubt Tragic Kingdom and Return of Saturn Albums.

Any tortured girl artist that is going through a bad breakup will thoroughly enjoy this novel!

FIVE CHARLIE CHUCHI STARS! *****

FOLLOW ME @charliechuchi

View my Pinterest board of Why We Broke Up to view my book casting, Why We Broke Up quotes, book art, the location of Min and Ed’s first date, pop culture pins, and some Min inspired pins!