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A review by kim_j_dare
Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
4.0
Ari’s and Dante’s relationship picks up where it left off in “Discover the Universe.” It’s 1988, and the boys are navigating their senior year of high school. Ari has come to terms with his sexuality, but thinks deeply about the AIDS pandemic and the hatred targeted at the gay community by much of the world. He slowly opens his friendship circle beyond just Dante, and comes to love and rely on Susie and Gina and Cassandra and Danny in what will be a year of challenges and loss. Ari’s parents provide opportunities for Ari to explore some of his views of the world more deeply… their constant wisdom is inspiring, if a little off-putting.
I was torn between three and four stars. Saenz’s prose is beautiful as always, but can dip into overly sentimental. Where “Discover the Universe” is about 360 pages, this one comes in at 528, and sections of the book drag. And some of the contemplations— about racism, about pandemics versus epidemics— seem to be filtered through the lens of our current times.
Still, Ari’s and Dante’s continuing story will have wide appeal, and I’m grateful to Simon & Schuster and to NetGalley for the electronic arc.
I was torn between three and four stars. Saenz’s prose is beautiful as always, but can dip into overly sentimental. Where “Discover the Universe” is about 360 pages, this one comes in at 528, and sections of the book drag. And some of the contemplations— about racism, about pandemics versus epidemics— seem to be filtered through the lens of our current times.
Still, Ari’s and Dante’s continuing story will have wide appeal, and I’m grateful to Simon & Schuster and to NetGalley for the electronic arc.