Scan barcode
A review by connie_joy
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
5.0
There are not enough stars in the sky for this book.
I adore it, one of the most beautiful books out there. It follows Dante and Ari as they learn about life, each other and themselves. Ari is closed off from the rest of the world and its people. But Dante unlocks something in him - something beautiful.
One of my favourite things about this book is the relationships - and I don't just mean the precious thing blossoming between Ari and Dante. I mean their families. Ari's friends. I cried in this book. Not necessarily because it was sad. But because of its beauty. Dante once said that he was crazy about his parents - well, I'm crazy about them too. And Ari's. The characters in this are so raw, so real. I feel tethered to them, in a way I can't quite explain. But I love them. I love them, I love them, I love them.
It is one of those books you finish, and then turn right back to the first page. Because you long to immerse yourself in that world again, to live alongside those characters and just to feel all that you felt while reading - all over again. And then again. And again. I will continue to re-read this book until the day I die. The same goes for recommending this to people, please read it. Please, the time is perfect, it's LGBTQIA+ history month. So what better time than the present to get lost in some stunning, diverse literature?
In summary, this book was - as Ellis (Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow) would put it:
'Fucking angelic.'
I adore it, one of the most beautiful books out there. It follows Dante and Ari as they learn about life, each other and themselves. Ari is closed off from the rest of the world and its people. But Dante unlocks something in him - something beautiful.
One of my favourite things about this book is the relationships - and I don't just mean the precious thing blossoming between Ari and Dante. I mean their families. Ari's friends. I cried in this book. Not necessarily because it was sad. But because of its beauty. Dante once said that he was crazy about his parents - well, I'm crazy about them too. And Ari's. The characters in this are so raw, so real. I feel tethered to them, in a way I can't quite explain. But I love them. I love them, I love them, I love them.
It is one of those books you finish, and then turn right back to the first page. Because you long to immerse yourself in that world again, to live alongside those characters and just to feel all that you felt while reading - all over again. And then again. And again. I will continue to re-read this book until the day I die. The same goes for recommending this to people, please read it. Please, the time is perfect, it's LGBTQIA+ history month. So what better time than the present to get lost in some stunning, diverse literature?
In summary, this book was - as Ellis (Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow) would put it:
'Fucking angelic.'