The infallible journey of a teenage love story

‘Why We Broke Up’

Plot: The story begins with the beginning of a letter to Ed and an image, painting of a blue box marked fragile that has been dropped off on the door step of Ed Slaterton, the cocaptain of the high school basketball team. The box has been delivered by Minerva, and it contains every memento she has saved over the duration of their courtship. Minerva has enclosed the aforementioned letter to Ed with the souvenirs to explain the history of each object and how the item impacted their relationship, as well as its demise.

Minerva, a 16-year-old is a filmobsessed gourmand, and popular athlete Ed meet at the Bitter Sixteen birthday party of Min’s best friend Al. Every food and drink item on the menu is drastically bitter. Ed crashes the party with his athlete friends and immediately makes a connection with Min. Ed asks Min out on a date and thus begins a courtship in which Min neglects her quirky, artistic friend group to become a basketball girlfriend, gazing on at Ed’s basketball practices and games though she has very little interest in sports.

Neither Min nor Ed blend well with the other’s social circle. Ed’s cheerleader ex-girlfriends are cruel and constantly look for ways to exploit Min’s quirks at parties. As Min slips into the euphoria of first love, she misses more of the opportunities that her friend group hold dear, namely decorating for the school’s Halloween party – Al is the chairman of the decorating committee. Al and Min’s other friends refuse to give Min an opinion on Ed at all. The only positive reinforcement is Ed’s older sister Joan, who share’s Min’s love for film, gourmet cooking and obscure music.

Min introduces Ed to classic film, obscure jazz music and diner coffee. They while away hours antiquing and devising schemes. One such intricate plan is to celebrate the life of an elderly woman whom they detect may be a classic movie starlet leads to a case of mistaken identity that is the crux of the courtship’s deterioration. Min is heartbroken, having committed physically as well as emotionally to Ed after much pondering and being convinced of his love for her. She turns to her friends to convalesce, and collects every memento of her relationship with Ed and begins writing a letter in which she explains the importance of every single object and how it is a determining factor to why they broke up.

Why you would recommend this book: While this book is considered young adult, it captures a time that is relatable to anyone who can remember young love and the subsequent world-ending heartbreak. The reader understands before the first crack of the spine that this book intends to be a tear jerker. Despite this, Handler takes the reader on a journey that is euphoric, yet rife with subtle conflicts that steer you chapter after chapter away from the heartbreaking outcome, and directly into a whirlwind high school romance.

Beyond Handler’s tender care of his narrator and her quirky yet approachable sensibilities, this book is the rare illustrated contemporary novel. Each chapter begins with a painted image of the artifact that Min places in the break-up box. Maira Kalman’s paintings for the book are reminiscent of the luscious paintings of Wayne Thiebaud. The images add to the overall atmosphere of the story and add levity to the inevitable.

That moment you were on the edge of your seat: Min has to make a very big choice about the direction of her relationship with Ed, a choice that comes with responsibility and emotional burdens. This is the moment where, as an adult and teen advocate, I wanted to yell at the book as if I was yelling at a horror film! This scene is handled with impressive subtlety and tenderness.

Lasting impressions: Daniel Handler is best known for his children’s books written under the pseudonym Lemony Snicket. I didn’t expect Handler to have such a sophisticated grasp on the emotional landscape of the teenage girl. Min is a character that reminds me of so many of my creative, independent friends who choose their own path. She could be described as quirky, but she is not a “manic pixie dream girl.” It is so refreshing to see a character so well-developed and unapologetic for her sensibilities. I was enraptured through every chapter.