Why We Broke Up, By: Daniel Handler, Illustrated by: Maira Kalman

Blurb

       ​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.

       Why We Broke Up (87%) is one of the better YA contemporaries I have read in a while. Min's story is a beautiful one of love and loss, and was written beyond comparison. She really grows throughout the story, and the flow of it is written really well.
       First of all, I absolutely loved Min. She was a little quirky, lovable, and a very realistic character. I love when an author writes a character who could walk up to you on the street and you would be like, "Yeah. Alright. Cool." This is definitely something I look for when reading about characters.
       What I really loved about the story, however, was the fact that it was written as a letter reflecting on Min and Ed's relationship through items. Each item in Min's box has a connection to something different in their relationship, and to think that a relationship could be relived through different objects is a really amazing concept. It added a whole other element that really just tied up every little part of the story.

Review

       What did you think of Daniel Handler's romantic good-bye letter? Leave your comments below!

Love,
​Ashton

I'm telling you why we broke up, Ed. I'm writing this letter, the whole truth of why it happened. And the truth is that I goddamn loved you so much." 
-Daniel Handler, Why We Broke Up