Why We Broke Up / Daniel Handler
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.
There are two sides to every heart break. Whether it is right, wrong, or just not meant to be, the story told of Ed and Min’s relationship is a complicated one. I liked being in Min’s shoes and seeing why they broke up.
Things are always complicated in a relationship and it’s good to see the whole side. Granted with what Min went through, I enjoyed her story of heart break. From the beginning of the relationship till the end, Min was nothing but honest in what she wanted. I liked that she didn’t pretend who she was but was herself. She stood tall when others said she was crazy and knew exactly who she loved.
Now, I don’t know all of Ed’s story but I would love to read his point of view as well. I think both characters took from some knowledgeable experience from this relationship. Both did stupid things, but hey, as a teen you make those kinds of mistakes.
But you know what I liked about this book? How Min is so much more wiser in the end. Yes, she left a box of things for Ed, but as a characters she grew so much before my eyes. As I read her story and felt her heart ache she suffered, she learned the most valuable lesson of all, life goes on. And with that, Min can better herself.
This is a good book of heart break that everyone has gone through. What you thought you love, who you thought you knew, isn’t all what it seems.
★★★★
(Next read: The Fault In Our Stars by John Green, I finally got the patience to start reading this book.)
Currently reading: Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler
“Stop saying no offense,” I said, “when you say offensive things. It’s not a free pass.”
