2.5

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Book
December
2021

Review:

I am so disappointed in this book. There were so many red flags and problems. I am so confused about why it was a single perspective for a book that would have worked better with multiple. I also think the writing style was childish and not fun to read. I don’t know why but I really didn’t like either of the main characters, and that’s story seems loosy goosy and just was not up to my ally. I really wish they didn’t talk like they were middle schoolers even though they were in their senior year by the time the book ended, or at least their voice and writing should have aged with them. I feel like this book was written by someone who doesn’t know how teenagers think. It also made me a little uncomfortable that they were younger than me and were trying things I would never want to try and thinking about things I never think about. It took me a while to get through this book because of how hard it was to just push through it. I wish that this was a better book and I am very disappointed.

Trigger Warnings:
Alcohol, Animal death, Broken bones, Car accident, Death (off-page), Depression (mild), Drug use, andGay bashing

Synopsis From Book:

Dante can swim. Ari can't. Dante is articulate and self-assured. Ari has a hard time with words and suffers from self-doubt. Dante gets lost in poetry and art. Ari gets lost in thoughts of his older brother who is in prison. Dante is fair skinned. Ari's features are much darker. It seems that a boy like Dante, with his open and unique perspective on life, would be the last person to break down the walls that Ari has built around himself. But against all odds, when Ari and Dante meet, they develop a special bond that will teach them the most important truths of their lives, and help define the people they want to be. But there are big hurdles in their way, and only by believing in each other―and the power of their friendship―can Ari and Dante emerge stronger on the other side.
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