Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler

This is the box, Ed. Inside is everything. Two bottle caps, a movie ticket from Greta in the Wind, a note from you, a box of matches, your protractor, Joan's book, the stolen sugar, a toy truck, those ugly earrings, a comb from the motel, and the rest of it. This is it Ed. The whole story of how we broke up.

 This book was given to me by my younger sister after I had a bad break up. She figured, it would help me with perspective and not feeling so alone, but at the time I wasn't ready to read this book. I recently picked it up and was left...disappointed.

The book is laid out like one long letter to accompany a box of things she is giving her ex. At first this premise sounded cute and almost like it was gonna be all the reason they should get back together. I imagined it very 13 Little Blue Envelopes like, but it wasn't. As soon as I read the first chapter, I knew me and Min weren't  going to be best friends and the more I read it was abundantly clear I was gonna scoff every time she spoke.  Min is such a cliche' the smart girl who drinks coffee and likes foreign films. We get it you are oh so cultured. And as soon as she starts dating Ed she moans about him and slags him off but puts up with it. I mean he literally acted like he owned her and she was more than happy to be owned. 

So no this book did not give me some insight into the psyche' of the recently broken up, or even some condolence. But it did in the end remind me why sometimes relationships have to end. Maybe the point Min is making is that at the time none of those events mattered. It was only looking back she realised how poisonous and terribly she was being treated. Okay scratch that, maybe I did learn something from this book. But that doesn't mean I enjoyed learning it. 

Sorry for the short review. My writer's block is just killing me right now.