aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the universe (a review from three years ago)

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note from miya: look what I found! Another one of my drafted reviews! From three years ago! If you can call this a review, I think it is actually more like 'some rambling three a.m. thoughts on the book I just finished'. Anyway, enjoy!


Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Genre: Young Adult, LGBTQIA
Pages: 359
Rating: ★★★★(+★ added later!)
Synopsis: Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.
“I renamed myself Ari.

If I switched the letter, my name was Air.

I thought it might be a great thing to be the air.

I could be something and nothing at the same time. I could be necessary and also invisible. Everyone would need me and no one would be able to see me.”

Aristotle and Dante is an unusual book with an even more unique story. Although I can't say I liked the writing, the narrative and the plot certainly caught my attention in a good way.  The story is about Aristotle and Dante's friendship over the summer of 1983 and more. Eventually, Dante moves to another city and a year goes by until they see each other again.  Meanwhile, both of them have their agenda: Aristotle trying to understand his older brother who is in jail and Dante discovering his sexuality. 

“I bet you could sometimes find all the mysteries of the universe in someone's hand.”― Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

My favorite character of all was definitely Dante (even though I could relate better to Aristotle). He's artsy and dorky and a bookworm, what's not to love about him, right? Both of the main characters have their journeys throughout the book and sometimes, not always, they connect along the way. However, the main plot for me was the development of their friendship. Aristotle is a complex character with the classic adolescent angst and Dante is the opposite, with his happiness and love for books and art. This contrast turns into a great friendship and an even better romantic relationship.  

As mentioned before, I didn't like the writing itself. I had never read any book by this author and wasn't sure what to expect. What I found, though, was a writing style that did not please me. The dialogues bothered and confused me and the paragraphs were sometimes too long and other too short, as were the chapters. All of this resulted in a problematic reading at first, then, as I got used to it, it got better. However, this was still a negative point for me. 

Please note that none of this criticism means that the writing is bad, just that it did not work specifically for me (my sister, for example, liked it very much).

“I got to thinking that poems were like people. Some people you got right off the bat. Some people you just didn't get--and never would get.”

― Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

The ending was a little frustrating mainly because, well, there was a problematic and the way it was solved was just too fast: everything happened in two pages. Also, Aristotle's whole homosexuality discovery was just too rushed. I feel like if there were fifty more pages or so, the author could have developed more the way the romance is portraited in the book. However, I still love it. Aristotle and Dante's relationship (whether it is amicable or romantic) is just beautiful.

By the way, the sequel to this novel is being developed by the author so I hope all of this will be solved.

One other thing definitely worth mention is the fact that both Aristotle and Dante are immigrants descendants, Mexican to be precise. As an immigrant granddaughter myself, I really love to see this kind of diversity is portrayed in books and I was really amazed by the way Dante and Aristotle dealt with it. The author chose to show different perspectives on it and retract important issues such as stereotypes and cultural identity. 

“Words were different when they lived inside of you.”

― Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

another note from the blogger: well, regardless of what I wrote three years ago after finishing my first reading, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is one of my favorite books to reread (scratch that: it's one of my favorite books ever). Who cares I had some issues with it at first?

till next time!

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