Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire SáenzMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
5/5 Stars - The writing in this book is absolutely gorgeous
and the characters in this novel are some of the most wonderful that I think
I've ever read about.
After I finished Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda, I wanted
to continue branching out to more diverse books and Ari and Dante just seemed
like a nature fit. Boy am I glad I read this book as soon as I did, I don't
even know where to begin with this book; so I'll break it down into sections.
(This is also how I'm going to review from now on as it helps me break down my
thoughts without repeating myself)
The Writing
As I said in my opening statement, the writing used by
Benjamin in this book is absolutely beautiful, for something that isn't a
fantasy novel, the tone of this book is so lyrical and whimsical that I felt
like I was reading poetry at some points. I'm a sucker for use of metaphors and
similes and this book does a fantastic job of using metaphors to not only tell
the story but also in a way of foreshadowing events that were come. I find that
some books either give far too little or far too much when it comes to
foreshadowing and hindsight, either causing readers to miss the points
completely or causing them to guess the ending by chapter 2. Aristotle and
Dante, I felt did a wonderful job of implying things without dropping too many
hints too soon with in the story.
The use dialogue in this book is actually really interesting
to me as there was rarely any long conversations, most conversations between
Ari and Dante were exchanges of short sentences and/or one talking and the
other more or less just listening. At first, I worried that I wouldn't be able
to connect with the characters or feel anything for their relationship, but
that was not the case at all. In fact, I think the way the two boys communicate
in this book is one of the sweetest I've seen. They don't need to fill every
second of silence, they can just be with one another and I think that speaks
volumes for their bond. Descriptions and long passages played a key role in
this book's development, which is something I used to hate because I always
thought it made stories long winded for no reason. But overtime, I've come to
love detailed passages because that is where as a reader I feel we witnessed
the most development both with plot and with the characters.
The Characters
I fell in love with Dante within the first interaction
between him and Ari, honestly, I think Dante is one of the humblest characters
I've possibly ever read about and I just want to protect him fiercely from
anyone who may ever dare hurt him. The way he is with Ari and the way he's so
open to give his opinions and stick up for what he wants and what he believes
in is an extremely admirable quality and it just furthers my love for him. I
love that we got to see him grow through the novel, and the relationship he has
with his parents is so heart-warming to see, the support, love and acceptance
they all show each other is just so refreshing to see.
Admittedly, it took me a little longer to fall in love with
Aristotle, at first although I liked his character, I found it took longer to feel
a connection with him. There were certain points where he started to annoy me
slightly, his refusal to change and adapt at first were frustrating but then he
started to grow and develop, and I fell for him completely. Like Dante, I just
want to protect him, honestly this boy just needs smiles and hugs in his life.
Aristotle's development throughout the book was just delightful to read about
as, he goes from the quiet closed off kid to the still quiet but accepting,
more open man. Also, the growth in the relationship he has with his parents was
a blessing to read, it was so incredibly uplifting that we got to see things
improving between them as a family; the family dynamics in this book were
probably some of my favourites to read.
The relationship between Aristotle and Dante was just
incredible, honestly as the book progressed on and on, I found myself just
rooting for the two of them; praying for a happy ending and boy did I get on.
As I mentioned before when talking about the dialogue in this book, the fact
that the two of them can just be with one another and not feel pressure to
constantly have conversation going is actually incredibly sweet. The use of
silence or the use of the quieter moments between these two speaks masses about
what the relationship means to one another and says a lot for how the bond that
Aristotle and Dante share has grown and developed. It demonstrates a sense of
trust, peace and serenity that they bring each other; as well as honesty. Ari
and Dante have one of the most honest connections I've seen in literature,
because although they don't necessarily talk about everything that's going on.
They also don't water themselves down for each other, they didn't feel the need
to censor themselves and it was really lovely to see.
The Diversity
Aristotle and Dante features two different Mexican-American
families, with two main characters within the LGBTQIA+ community, it also
features a character with frequently implied PTSD
TW: I just want make people aware that this book does
contain a scene of animal cruelty and of homophobic act of hate. I'll also put
a mild language warning on this for any younger readers.
Overall
I think Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the
Universe is a fantastic read for anyone who is looking for a story of
self-discovery. This story follows the struggles that come with trying to find
yourself and coming to terms with aspects of yourself like your sexuality.
A great read for LGBTQIA+ community and for anyone who wants
a raw, honest relationship between two wonderful people.
View all my reviews
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