Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe | Benjamin Alire Sáenz | Review
I have so many mixed feelings about this book. It was one of those books that you take forever to get into, to the point where I almost put it down and stopped reading for good. But then once you get past a certain chapter it's super enjoyable and really easy to fly through, where I practically took 2 weeks to read the first half and a few hours to read the second half.
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 did, however, really enjoy how it was laid out in mini-chapters, some being only a page or two long. This may have added to the fact that it was easy to put down as I usually like to finish a chapter before putting it down but with small chapters I could read like 5 pages a night and which meant it took forever to get through it.
The problem I now have with YA, being an almost 24-year-old, is that it's been a while since I was 15 years old and sometimes it takes a while for me to connect with the characters this age. Does anyone feel the same way? That being said, once I'd connected with my wee 15-year-old self, I really enjoyed the characters of Ari and Dante, I related so much to some of the loneliness and the fear of being needy. The story didn't have one major plot, but instead lots of mini storylines that all got tied up in the end (sort of like a happily ever after, but not really) so the story followed how the two boys developed. Their friendship, their relationship with their families, their coming of age and learning about themselves. I won't go into too much detail as it will spoil the book, and we don't want that, so I'll just leave you with this; if you feel like you're not enjoying it - push through! Also, the wee doggie, legs, is wonderful!
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