Woebegone Why

Why We Broke Up by  Daniel Handler and Maira Kalman

* ARC I read via Around The World ARC Tours
* Book will be released December 27, 2011 

3 out of 5 gnomes

This is one of those stories where I like the concept much more then the actual story and characters.  This story is like a picture book but for young adults.  The whole picture book for young adult's concept was what interested me in the book.  I'd love for more pictures/illustrations in a book to become a trend.

This whole book is written supposedly as a letter from Min (short for Minerva) to Ed, listing the reasons for their break up.  Once again I love the idea but the book could stand to be a lot shorter.  Not to sound harsh or anything but I did find myself wondering at times when it would end.

The drawings are really the best part of the story, they give the book a fun quirky quality.  I found myself looking forward to what would be drawn next.  I may have to check the book out from the library just to see all of the drawings in full color. 

The writing at times feels like a really long epic poem.  Like I am about most poetry though I just wanted it to get to the point.   It has great writing but it just wasn't one of those books that could draw me in and keep my attention.  

Min's a good character but kind of awkward.  She is the kind of person that if I saw them in real life I'd probably steer clear of them.  She has a pretentious quality to her that makes her hard to like at times. 

Mina and Ed, the kind of couple you look at and wonder how it would ever work out between them.  Even thought from the title of the book, you know what happened, if you're like me you'll look for ways that they could have made it work.  Their relationship is strange from the start but it seems to work for them.  The saying is that opposites attract but Min and Ed are almost polar opposites.

Seeing this whole relationship laid out like this kind of feels like some anthropological experiment that just got unearthed.  It shows how fast a relationship can form and then just as quickly go sour.  The whole book kind of feels like one of those wrecks that you know you should look away from but can't.

Overall, an experimental feeling type book that is worth reading at least once.  I wasn't the biggest fan of this book but I can't wait to see what Daniel Handler writes next.