Back when I was in my 'too busy' phase, where I didn't have time to sit and review books, I actually read some really great books. I thought I would catch up with past me and review the books I missed. I review things not just for you, but for me as well so I can look back and see what I did and didn't enjoy. And, I don't have that available for the last month or so.
So, today I'll be reviewing Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz. It will from now on be referred to as AADDTSOTU or just Aristotle...
This is one book that I was really holding out on, I'd had it for over a year and I wasn't interested in reading it anymore, however after some extreme convincing I finally made myself pick it up. OMG was it worth it! The characters were beautiful as was their arc as a person. The setting was quite bland but it made the people in it seem more alive. It was so emotional; I was in literal tears for most of it. I can't wait for the sequel, yes there is a sequel, and you can expect it to be one of our An Infinite Philosophy picks.
The book mainly centres around two boys who are complete polar opposites. One of them is a very happy go lucky not afraid to express himself, always smiling type of person. Whilst the other is very, I would say, stereotypical Mexican, quite violent, but with an emotional side. It follows them as they become friends and generally arc as people. It's such a beautiful story and I would so totally recommend it.
In other exciting news, you guys know me and some friends are attending YALC in the summer, well I've been informed that we are also attending the midnight release party of The Cursed Child! I'm so excited. I can't even believe it.
Anyway, let’s get onto the spoilers...
Welcome to my universe of spoilers...
I love how it starts with Ari, he is the main character we get to see arc, and the quote at the beginning is actually a good introduction to Ari's motivation for making friends with Dante. I think the whole way their friendship starts and finishes is just so stunning.
I think the way he wrote the two characters to appear so different but to actually be quite similar. Dante appears very happy, upbeat yet compassionate and caring. Whilst Ari comes across as quite dumb but all muscle and quite violent, however deep down he shows the same emotions that Dante does. I really enjoyed how Dante helped Ari learn to swim and on the academic side, whilst Ari taught Dante Street smarts.
I absolutely loved all the little qwerks that surrounded each character, like Dante's hate of shoes and Ari's need for independence. I could ramble about these characters for ages but I promise I'm almost done. The final characters I want to talk about are the parents. I think they were so wonderfully incorporated into the story; it was nice to see them step in as well as forming their own relationships.
I was super interested in Ari's dad and I thought it was lovely that we saw him open up more towards the end. What I also found interesting, was the whole mystery surrounding Ari's brother. I enjoyed how we really learnt everything that was going on towards the end witch really pushed the character development of our main characters.
One thing I loved was the fact that both Dante and Ari had massive character development but it was very different. Dante's was more about experimenting and coming to terms with himself, and gaining more confidence. Ari's was more focused on him taking back control in his life and forming new relationships and finding a better version of himself. However, both of their arcs ended up in the same place.
I think one of the strongest parts of the book was the incident where Ari pushed Dante out of the way of the car. The way a lot of things linked to it made it a much stronger scene. I was so emotional when it happened; I was worried something had happened to Ari or Dante. Another one of my favourite scenes is the one where Ari beats up that boy because he beat up Dante. One of the most beautiful scenes is when they go running around in the rain naked except for their shoes, I just enjoyed that so much, it made me laugh through my tears.
I think the ending was so beautiful with Ari finally realising who he was. I didn't love how ashamed he was about it, but I love how it ended with them kissing and him finally realizing that there was nothing to be ashamed of for loving Dante, by this point I was ugly crying, hard.
The whole book is beautiful but these are just some things that I particularly enjoyed. I would love to hear what you guys thought in the comments, and I'll see you next time xx
-A
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