The cover of Aristotle
and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
is covered with awards, and I’ve been hearing rave reviews of this novel ever
since it was published in 2012. I finally had a chance to read this
coming-of-age novel about friendship, sexual identity, and figuring out who you
are.
Aristotle and Dante are both teen Mexican-American boys
living in El Paso, Texas, in 1987, both named after long-dead philosophers and
both sort of loners without any close friends. That’s where the similarities
end, though. They meet one day at the local pool, when Dante, an accomplished
swimmer, offers to teach Aristotle – who can only float – how to swim.
Dante is lightness and mirth, always laughing and happy,
while Aristotle is often dark and moody. But the boys hit it off from their
first conversation, immediately starting to laugh together over their shared
strange names. Aristotle meets Dante’s parents and adores them, especially his
father, who is open and talkative, welcoming Aristotle warmly. His own father
hasn’t been the same since he returned from Vietnam, rarely speaking and often
angry, and neither of his parents will talk about his older brother, who is in
prison.
The two boys spend an idyllic summer together, swimming,
making up silly games, and experiencing what it means to have a best friend for
the first time in their lives. Dante is the one person who can bring Ari out of
his dark moods, who can get him to talk, who can make him laugh. Their
friendship even helps Ari to begin to open up with his family. Before the
summer ends, though, tragedy strikes, and their friendship hits some serious
obstacles that complicate their easy relationship.
This warm, moving, often funny novel is compulsively
readable, as the easy-going, funny banter between the two friends turns into a
deep bond. Although it delves deep into the mysteries of friendship, it also
explores family, in all of its difficult and dysfunctional guises. Together,
though in different ways, the two boys try to figure out who they are and what
they want out of life, in a classic coming-of-age story, as they each encounter
significant challenges. Aren’t such struggles always easier with a best friend
by your side?
359 pages, Simon & Schuster
I loved this book. Even teenagers recognize its brilliance.
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