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

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-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

i loved the way this book was written so, so much. it felt really poetic and emotional, while at the same time somehow cold and detached, and that's a little how i feel on the inside.

there were lots of tears and lots of times when i realized i really wish i was like dante, as well as times when i related a lot to ari:
"but love was always something heavy to me. something i had to carry."

knowing that the author loves his dog a lot, also made the parts about ari loving legs so much more wholesome and beautiful.

the ileana stuff was unnecessary and rushed in my opinion, just because i couldn't really follow how their relationship progressed and then suddenly it was just over.


i am a little sad that we didn't get multiple povs - i would have enjoyed it a lot to get to know more of dante's thoughts and emotions.
for example i really wish i knew what went on in his head when he pushed ari to kiss him. it made me so uncomfortable.


what didn't really sit right with me was the way they talked about the fact that ari could've lost his legs, although i am in no position to really speak on that, it felt a little ableist to me, and i hope to find out more about what people think about that part who actually have a similar disability to the one he could've had if the surgery had went differently.


i also really hated the part about bernardo unaliving that prostitute, it was just so blatantly transphobic and hurt to read.


but overall i did like their friendship and the way they feel about each other a lot,
even though i didn't expect the romance stuff to take SO. LONG. which is not necessarily a bad thing though, i loved reading about ari's internal struggles, his and dante's families, just everything that was going on.
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