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

emotional hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.75

Wonderfully written prose: poetic and lyrical and philosophical.

During the height of the AIDS crisis, two young gay men are forced to grapple with homophobia, grief, loss, and the emotions that come with growing up.

I love love love Ari and Dante and although I wouldn't say the dialogue is realistic by any means, the dialogue stands out because it's not realistic (aka it's not primarily shallow with some deep conversations). I like to think of this book as one where all of the characters share every single honest and raw thought with each other and have intense conversations about life with a lighthearted air. And I loved and appreciated that. Of course, no one will speak like they do IRL, but in Ari and Dante's world, they do. All of the characters are so loveable because of this--how could you not love someone who bares their whole heart out to you?

My only slight criticism is that the ending
where Dante just leaves angrily and Ari then goes to Paris
was just a little too fast-paced and frankly slightly sloppy for me; it definitely could have been better done, but maybe it was just showing their young age and although they may seem incredibly mature throughout the book, they're still young and just heading off to college. This was not a make-or-break deal for me though, the last scene was indeed quite sweet.
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