A review by peter1rose
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

emotional funny reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Overall this was a great YA coming of age story. The characters and fun, likeable, and relatable. I thought of how I was when I was young and trying to understand my gender/sexuality. There's a lot of good to say about the book, and if you're young or into YA this is a great book about the gay experience, but there were some critiques I came away with. (Side note: it is a bit escapist. Not necessarily a bad thing but not wholly realistic in some regards.)

The story is set in 1987-88 and they never bring up AIDS/HIV. Especially during this time, the pain and damage caused by HIV was immense and failing to bring it up felt wrong, like they lived in an alternate reality where HIV never existed. I theorized that one of the main reasons this happened was because the author wanted to write a story where modern technology wasn't accessible to the main cast to set up some plot points
(such as the letter writing, avoidance of social media, no easy access to communication etc.)
, but wanted to have a gay coming of age story where today's young queer readers could still heavily relate. Having the looming fear of HIV might distance current readers from the characters or setting. 

I also felt like the murder committed by the leads older brother was a little messy plot wise. How could Aristotle still want to pursue a relationship with his brother knowing the pain of Dante being nearly killed for similar reasons. I know its not that simple either because when it happened his brother was only 15. It was strange and felt narratively slightly out of place. Why couldn't it have involved a different kind of gay man? Why an adult transvestite? The book also goes out of it's way on many occasions to explain concepts or words to the audience but brushed by transvestite. I think this is kind of damaging to the readers. Transvestite is often mixed up colloquially (especially by older gen or non-queer people) as another word for transgender/transsexual, and many times when it isn't, it's used derogatorily. The audience for this book is young, and an explanation wouldn't have been out of place nor out of character.
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