We've got your back. With the Tough-O-Meter, you'll know whether to bring extra layers or Swiss army knives as you summit the literary mountain. (10 = Toughest)
(4) Base Camp
Why We Broke Up is an emotionally sophisticated work, but it's easy enough to follow the plot. (A couple meets; they fall in love; they break up. See? Simple.) But the book is written from Min's point of view, and her stylistic quirks sometimes slow things down. Occasionally Min gets so carried away with a description that she'll bust out a stream-of-consciousness style sentence long enough to rival Marcel Proust. But don't worry: Since the language is contemporary, it's never too much of a slog.