Heartbreak in a Box
This is a difficult book. Socially difficult. Intellectually difficult. Emotionally difficult. That's not to say that Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler is not a worthy read. It's just not the kind of book you curl up with on the beach to relax.
The incredibly heavy tome (all 375 pages are printed on thick glossy paper) explains the reasons vintage film geek Min Green and super jock Ed Slaterton just can't continue their high school romance. The novel begins with Min returning the box that contains “(e)very last souvenir of the love we had, the prizes and the debris of this relationship, like the glitter in the gutter when the parade has passed, all the everything, and whatnot kicked to the curb. I’m dumping the whole box back into your life, Ed, every item of you and me. I’m dumping this box on your porch, Ed, but it is you, Ed, that is getting dumped,” Min declares. The plot winds through their convoluted relationship as they try to find common ground although their friends seem to realize and warn that inevitably their two worlds will collide and the whole affair will implode. Ed tries to be her everything, and Min sacrifices her own convictions to make it work; and underlying it all are the hints that when love is blind and passion rules the soul, crippling secrets grow unchecked. Although the stream-of-conscious style of the novel makes it a bit difficult to read (I found myself having to re-read passages several times to finally get all the pieces to mesh), it also makes the writing incredibly true. Teen voice, with all its hopeful confusion and hubris, flows powerfully throughout the book. There are pathos and ethos. Teenage angst and bitter truths. Violations, revelations and eventually a sort of redemption.
I actually finished the novel a week ago, and I can’t seem to stop thinking about it. It has taken me a long time to come to a point where I could actually write this review because there is a duality here I can’t seem to reconcile. Like Thirteen Reasons Why or Looking For Alaska this book needs to exist simply because it depicts realities of the adolescent experience that many, many teens encounter. However, I can’t help but wonder if teens will perceive this not as a cautionary tale, but as a glorification of bad choices. I’d like to believe that most teens could take away some lessons from Broke Up, or at least relate to the characters enough to find insights about themselves. Unfortunately, I suspect that this book is going to be passed over by intelligent, sensitive readers, and relegated to the growing heap of vapid melodramas that plague teen literature.
By the way, many current adolescent have long been fans of Handler. A couple of years ago he wrote the popular Series of Unfortunate Events using the pen name, Lemony Snicket.
Four Stars: Very cautiously recommended for mature high school students (grades 10-up) who are up to reading intellectually and emotionally challenging material. The subject matter is mature, and the language is raw. Readers who have enjoyed books by John Green (An Abundance of Katherines, Will Grayson, Will Grayson) or Lori Aurelia Williams (When Kambia Elaine Flew In From Neptune) are probably ready to tackle Broke Up.