Review: Why We Broke Up

Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



I was really looking forward to “Why We Broke Up”. I loved the “look” of the book, I just wish the story lived up to the edgy “look”. It didn’t even live up to Daniel Handler’s alter ego, Lemony Snicket. Maybe if Lemony had written the book it would have been better?

This is a long letter that “Min”erva writes to Ed about why they broke up…this letter is accompanying the various things Min saved from their time together and it’s all in a box that will be dropped on Ed’s doorstep.

The premise to the story is intriguing…I don’t know many girls who didn’t keep souvenir’s of their relationships. But most girls would trash the souvenirs, not write an incredibly long and boring letter to the guy about why she saved those items. The writing was weighty…it feels like your slogging through waste high snow trying to get somewhere… anywhere. Min’s story jumps around with the different items. We learn she is obsessed with really old and obscure movies. We never really learn much about Ed other than he plays basketball and thinks Min is “different” (don’t say “arty”).

I did finish the book, only because I wanted to know why they broke up, which was just as I predicted. I could have, and probably should have, walked away from it at numerous periods. The first time was on their first date when Min becomes convinced the old lady walking in front of them is the star of the movie they just watched. So she and Ed follow the lady and come up with the idea to have a birthday party for her. Min and Ed have no idea if, in fact, this lady is the actress in question. That’s how the whole story goes…huge, grand plans that essentially go nowhere.




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