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Why We Broke Up Essay

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Why We Broke Up is not your classical romance novel, it is quite the opposite. Why We Broke Up, a contemporary romance novel written by Daniel Handler takes a completely unique approach to a romance story, deprived of all the cliches of classical young adult romance literature. The book illustrated by Maira Kalman and was published in 2011 by the Hachette Book Group. Handler’s novel is an accurate representation of a real-life relationship. The novel is narrated by Min, who tells the story of and contemplates her previous relationship through a collection of prosaic objects. The novel’s title Why We Broke Up is self explanatory. Why We Broke Up talks about relationships, and along with relationships, heartbreak. The story is told as a long …show more content…

At the very beginning of the story, Min admits that she “loves him, but even though she loves him, she is gathering and getting rid of all the stuff they shared, along with him” (Handler 4). Once their relationship ended she figured that in order to completely be done with him, she needs to get rid of everything that associates her to him. As she packed all the various items in the box, she feels closure. No matter how much she was glad to have found some kind of closure she was still upset about how everything turned out. Min and Ed had very different interests. Her view on him was deeper than his view on her. In her eyes, Ed was like a God, and Min in Ed’s eyes was just a pretty but not beautiful artsy girl. Min once told Ed that “she always dreamt of becoming a director, but he couldn't see the movies in her eyes” (Handler 4) because she was truly more interested in him then he was in her she realizes that it was better to break it …show more content…

The book is unique Because it is in a letter form, from Min’s perspective. If the novel would have been from Ed’s perspective the story would have been completely different. It would have been the classic love story where the popular guy starts dating the girl that is outstanding and is nothing compared to the girls he has ever been with, the girl would have gotten to see and discover the real him that noone has yet seen, then he would face an obstacle in his life, everything would go downhill just like any other classic love story that we are used to reading. The writing style is very interesting because the chapters were very descriptive especially with the help of visuals. Although some chapters felt like they were being rushed, it wasn't a big issue since all the other chapters were astonishing. Since the romance novel is describing items in a breakup box, the illustrator Maira Kalman paintings are used as a portion of enhancement that made the items worth sparing. Anyone who has experienced heartbreak would find Min’s arguments relatable. One of the many reasons why I enjoyed this book is because many readers can relate to Min’s situation. Throughout the novel we find out that Min and Ed are from different social groups, and because they are so young readers like myself can relate and understand their problems. The audience can usually find themselves in situations

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