Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe By Benjamin Alire Sáenz

 

"One summer night, I fell asleep, hoping the world would be different when I woke."

It is a book with short chapters but the novel isn’t short (lengthwise and contentwise!). It’s a story about love, an organic love-story, a constructive love story! Don’t we meetup few people and feel as if we have known them for ages?  Aristotle "Ari" Mendoza and Dante Quintana, two distinctive Mexican-American teenager boys of the 80s, are like the two souls separated for ages, and met here in this book. Though the setting of the 80s have been mentioned, but I personally felt timelessness and nothing explicit related to the 80s.

On the threshold of adulthood, the two teenagers are in search of knowing themselves and deciphering the anomalies of the world. Most of the books I recently read are about abusive parents, indifferent parents, but the “happy family” trope, offered a welcome relief! Both Ari and Dante’s families are loving yet flawed, and offers parental support.

The writing is very simple and concise. Though a very straightforward writing, but if has an inciting straightforward impact on the readers!

Aristotle(Ari), is a wallflower, doesn’t have many friends, preferred being bored alone than in the company of friends, is curious and inquisitive. Dante, his soul-partner, the “know-it-all” with a distinctive way of perceiving the secrets of the universe, helps Ari in finding answers. They set on the journey of becoming lifetime special friends. They set on together for discovering their emotions, identities, secrets of the convoluted universe, while not strangulating each other’s freedom.

One of the great novels on LGBTQ YA, with a warm storyline.

This book offers warmth and love, and is a perfect bedtime read 😊

There is an abundance of tabbed quotes, sharing few-

 

Quotes-

·      Words were different when they lived inside of you.

·      This is my problem. I want other people to tell me how they feel. But I’m not so sure I want to return the favor.

·      The problem with trying hard not to think about something was that you thought about it even more.

·      Sometimes, all you have to do is tell people the truth. They won’t believe you. After that, they’ll leave you alone.

·      The problem with my life was that it was someone else’s idea

·      Maybe we just lived between hurting and healing.

·      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.

·      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.

A 4-star for this tender book!

Friendship/ love generally brings in a crumb of captivity/restriction, but this is a beautiful story where love brings in more freedom, offers respite from the perplexities of the world 😊 

NB – For me, Ari’s inner soliloquies, equates him as the modern times “Hamlet” 😊