Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
Ratings552
Average rating4.2
If you were to ask me “What is the perfect YA novel?” I would have to say this one. Benjamin Alire Sáenz constructed a beautiful coming of age story of two boys growing up together (and apart) into their adulthood and discovering love while exploring their sexuality. If this book was meant to be classified as an adult novel, I wouldn't think it's quite as good but as a YA novel, to me, it is very impressive. The author uses language that is generally straightforward and not flowery but was also profound at times.
- “When will it feel like the world belongs to us?”
- “I don't always have to understand the people I love.”
- “Another secret of the universe: Sometimes pain was like a storm that came out of nowhere. The clearest summer morning could end in a downpour. Could end in lightning and thunder.”
- “When I was drying myself off after my shower, I stared at my naked body in the mirror. I studied it. How strange to have a body. Sometimes it felt that way. Strange. I remembered what my aunt had told me once. ‘The body is a beautiful thing.' No adult had ever said that to me. And I wondered if I would ever feel like my own body was beautiful. My aunt Ophelia had solved a few of the many mysteries of the universe. I felt as though I hadn't solved any at all. I hadn't even solved the mystery of my own body.”
I can see why this story wouldn't be for everyone and I'd understand why some people wouldn't connect with it. But for me personally, I felt like I really saw myself in Ari and almost like I was experiencing my own past years coming of age in my personal young adulthood. This book certainly isn't the most interesting novel I've ever read, it's not some crazy concept, or twists and turns and villains and magic. But that's part of the charm for me, it is sort of simple but expertly done. If I had this book when I was at the age of these characters, I can see myself obsessing over it. I'm excited to read the sequel (probably next year).
Sweet YA story about self-acceptance, friendship, and first love.. Would unreservedly recommend to young person.
Summary: The shy, quiet protagonist, Aristotle, meets and begins a friendship with the outgoing Dante. As the two boys learn more about each other, make sacrifices for each other, and share the difficult parts of their lives with each other, their friendship develops into something deeper.
generally not a fan of YA so this definitely wasn't for me to begin with - but the writing here is so odd at times. why do they say each other's names very other line??
read this after watching the movie and i think doing that made me give it a higher score since i was already familiar with the characters.
this book is one of my absolute favorites. i felt so inmersed in the story, like i actually lived it. every moment felt real. it gave me hope to experience love like that. the ending was perfect
FU K FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKK MY GOD IF YOU WANTED ME DEAD BENJAMIN IT WOULD'VE BEEN EASIER TO KILL ME GOOD GODDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
very very wattpad-y but in an endearing way. i loved this a lot.
Gostei muito da experiência de ler esse livro. Um grande aspecto dessa leitura é a escrita maravilhosa do autor, guiada pelo ponto de vista do Aristóteles, o leitor cresce junto com o Ari, e vamos descobrindo quase tudo no tempo dele. E assim como o Ari, todos os personagens evoluem muito ao longo da história, com destaque especial para própria família do protagonista. Nessa onda, você se sente evoluindo junto com os personagens, já que a jornada deles aqui é muito cativante. Agora que temos um mundo todo de personagens estabelecido, mal posso esperar pra ver como tudo continua numa sequência.
I was able to finish this before seeing the movie. At first, with all the dialogue, it took me a little while to warm up to it. But when it hooks you, you're all in! It's such a heartwarming and nostalgic glimpse into young queer love between two Mexican-American kids in the 1980s. It's wonderful to see such a meaningful, diverse perspective on the coming-of-age tale.
I think I'm not the target demographic and yet it somehow hit deep.
First things first. I think that marketing this as a love story/romance is misleading, it leads to an expectation of the romance being the main topic of the story. Yes, Dante is in love with Ari. Yes, their relationship somehow develops throughout the book. However, I'd say that it stays more in the background until the very very end.
The main focus is the angsty inner world of the POV protagonist, Ari. It feels iceberg-y. I feel like it's aimed at people who are going through the same thing (or have gone), of endlessly doubting yourself, feeling like you don't belong, that maybe you're not fit for this whole life thing etc. Those people read one sentence and feel a thousand things. I have to admit that at times it hit home too. My favourite relatable moments were winding someone up just so you get any kind of reaction, “I thought that if I chose the right words in the right language, he will hear me” and the most of all “You go to a councilor, dad goes to a councilor. And maybe after that, I'll go to a councillor.”
But I also have to admit that quite often I was at the limit of how much depressing, self-deprecating dialogue and pushing away your loved ones just cause you're angsty I could bear. The sentiment “the problem with my life is that it was someone else's idea”on page 8 pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the book. Don't get me wrong, it is illustrated very well why Ari is the way he is, why he's used to running away from communication and closeness and opening up - his parents have done it to him his whole life. Still, sometimes Ari's behaviour got really fucking annoying. Nevertheless I can imagine that maybe if I had read this 10 years back, I would've found it mostly relatable, so I'm putting this annoyance aside, knowing it's one of the books that I might just have read too late.
That aside, other things I liked was the character of Dante and sometimes I thought his POV might've been more interesting as Ari's often got repetitive and honestly, at the beginning of the book I thought that their POVs are going to switch intbetween chapters, might've been interesting if they did. I liked the portrayal of two families, one troubled, one less so, the gentleness of Dante's parents was so nice. Also the subtle touch on immigrant struggles was cool.
concerning the format and pacing - the chapters are short (and I am a fan of shorter chapters), there is quite a lot of quick exchange dialogue. The beginning was pretty light, the middle section got pretty heavy with all the injury and depressiveness. I felt the ending was the strongest - it made me tear up.
All in all, I don't think I'm going to re-read this or read the sequel. And even though it was at times too angsty for me, I still gotta give it 4 stars.
tropes: troubled family, coming of age, teenage angst, fear of intimacy, inability to connect
lit mentioned: Heart of Darkness, William Carlos Williams poetry, Bless Me, Ultima, The Grapes of Wrath, War and Peace, The Sun Also Rises
this is so warm??? and loving??? and compassionate??
at first i thought i wouldn't like it because i've been feeling a bit too old for YA's (ewan q ba, i don't appreciate teen angst that much anymore) but there's so much love and empathy in this book that it bridged the gap that i'm struggling to get on with.
true nga na we all have these private wars within ourselves pero siguro if we're surrounded by love and understanding and soooo much patience, we'll get by eventually.
(this healed my inner teenager cguroh,,, keri niu yon)
To be entirely fair, I'm not the best audience for this book. I typically avoid romance novels, but I occasionally pick one up on a recommendation and have found a few I love. Unfortunately, this wasn't one of them. I found it unrealistic and really disliked the dialogue
Mi primera lectura del año y es una lectura de 5 estrellas. No esperaba que me fuese a gustar tanto este libro. Amo a Ari y a Dante. Se me ha hecho muy adictivo y muy rápido y ligero de leer. Sin duda, recomiendo 100% este libro. No sé cuando leeré la segunda parte pero tengo muchas ganas de leerla.
Queer novel for teens. Started out great, flatlined after. A little too marshmellowy, I would have thought even at 16. Too much love going on between parents and children. Not much action. Lots of repetition. But a sweet ending.
“Words were different when they lived inside of you”
This was a quote that genuinely made me sit back and go “woah”. That's what I loved most about this book, the writing and imagery is just beautiful.
“I think that if Dante really knew me, he wouldn't like me.”
I think one of the scariest (especially personally) and the most vulnerable thing to do is allow someone to truly see you.
It is so easy to hold personas and act in a certain way in order to try make people like us or enjoy our company. To allow those walls to come down and allow people to see us for who we truly are is so nerve racking and I truly felt Ari when it comes to these emotions, the fear and self doubt.
“Feeling sorry for myself was an art. I think a part of me liked doing that.”
There came a time in my life and it was something I was only able to address when I finally started therapy that I discovered that it is much easier to be a victim or feel sorry for myself than trying to make a change or be strong for myself.
I loved watching Ari grow into himself and start to accept himself for who he truly is. This book holds so many special quotes and I tried my hardest to just stick to three to address.
I struggled with this writing style a lot and found the main character a touch unlikable. Some good lessons here though.
At first i was like : another gay ya book but then I GOT IT and it was so different. Giving me Ernest Hemingway w the dialogue but 10x better. Wish I read in the summer and will be reading again.
I don't think I've ever read a book that's made me want to sit down and cry while simultaneously contemplate my existence. This was such a beautiful story - when people say ‘coming of age' this is exactly what they mean.
Honestly, I had no idea what to expect going into this. I hadn't really read the synopsis or heard people talk about it beyond saying that it was a good book and I'm glad I didn't. Not knowing made it even better, it made me feeling like I was growing up alongside Ari. Maybe I have.
It was an incredible read. I'm glad I started the year off with this book.