Friday, June 3, 2016

Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe book review!



The blurb

""This book took my breath away."
―James Howe, author of The Misfits

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."

My Thoughts

Wow! Just...WOW! From beginning to end this book had me in tears, happy tears, sad tears, I have never cried *this* much at a book before!

It is a story about 2 Mexican-American teenage boys...who fall in love. I will never count sexuality as a spoiler, because of reasons. Anyway while it is a contemporary and sounds like it'd be an easy and sweet love story, it is so much more than that! Yes, it's easy to read in the sense of language, but it is so profound, without even really trying to be. It's honest, raw, and will break your heart in the best possible way. While I certainly can't relate to everything about the main character and to say that I could would be an insult, in some ways I could relate to him. It didn't take too long before the MC (Ari) had captured my heart. His voice is simple, it's his everyday thoughts, and the sincerity and truth in it all is just...yes. I can't think of a word, so just yes <3.

Dante, had to grow on me a little bit but again, that didn't take too long either. These boys captured my heart. The reason it took Dante a little bit to grow on me is at first I thought he was "too perfect" but I was quickly proven wrong. Everyone has their flaws and depth, and gets character development throughout the novel..and I do mean everyone! That includes their families. The family dynamics, with their parents, is amazing. They aren't perfect, they get stuff wrong, but man do they try! And above all, they truly love each other. The parents are very much there in this book, and I loved it!

This story may be "simple" to read, but it is so moving, deep, and truly beautiful.

5 out of 5 stars

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