A review by leduyhxxng
Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World tells the story of Ari and Dante after the confession of their love, but if it is the way it is then I don't want to hear it. There is a huge problem with how the sequel was told. And I can safely say that a lot of the plot points and characters could have been trimmed. Many characters were introduced to the follow-up novel, some of whom were Ari's friends and teachers at school, but none was ever brought to justice. They entered the story with ample promises to contribute to Ari's growth and sense of self-acceptance in their own unique ways, but they were never allowed to do that. They (e.g. Danny, Mrs Ardovino, Julio, Elena, Hector) were very different people and would have added very nicely to the plot, but they remain as token friends who serve either to prove Ari's social life or as a one-off life lesson on how human beings lead different lives, which struck a really odd taste in my mouth. I feel like they were brought in on a whim and the author just didn't know how to deal with these characters, so he never mentioned them again, and it makes me a little mad. Besides, on the note of storytelling, this was not it. The plot built erratically, and the reason for this was never really convincing because I notice each time that it didn't add much to the characters at all. And therefore the novel felt rushed even though it was much, much longer than the prequel. Also, the use of detail, such as Cassandra and Dante being valedictorian, felt icky. It's nice, I guess, but, as a reader, who never actually saw the implication of schoolwork in the story, I just... I know how I felt when I read that. I just don't like how I felt when I read that. Why would that be important? Anyway, that's it for the rant.

P.S.: Ari's father acted out of character. I simply do not believe that an adult, who'd spent his entire life avoiding show of feelings and affection with his family, could decide to stop on a random day and talk about his feelings with such eloquence as depicted. It's wishful thinking, and it weirded me out on certain parts.

P.P.S.: They all cried too damn much. I swear I'd make a fortune if I had a dollar for every time I saw the tears-running-down-their-face phrasing. It's really out of character because they'd essentially spent their entire life not showing how they feel to other people. I get that people change, but this punk-ass level of change just isn't realistic and takes you away from the story.