Scan barcode
A review by ernestoittig
Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
The Aristotle and Dante series is a story about love, apart from being a love story.
I loved this book so much. From the beginning I clocked it as a great work. I think it took me so long to finish it because I struggled to be in the right environment to emotionally take it all in; and also because I didn't want it to end :p.
I somehow enjoyed this one even more than the first one. It may be because I read this one in the original English while the first one was a translation. But--and this is pure speculation--I believe that the success of the first book may have freed Alire Sáenz's prose in a way, gave him licence to write as he pleased, so to speak. This book felt like an essay into the more poetical aspects of literary expression, a rejection of the cheap and rote slop of contemporary YA "literature"; a very welcome breath of fresh air.
As for its plot and themes, I found them to be very profound and touching. I saw myself in the characters in this book in ways I haven't in a work of fiction for quite some time. The circumstances of the protagonist and mine are very similar in many ways, but I think anyone with a kind soul will see themselves in the main characters. I found its setting very pertinent to today; it is nice to see how far we've progressed on Queer liberation in such a short time, but also useful to find parallels between the struggles our elders experienced and the issues we are facing today. It has been a while since I read a work marked as YA fiction that had something to say, some kind of statement to make, however uncontroversial it may be.
I think often LGBT novels are pigeonholed into being simple permutations of the same fanfic tropes (but hey one of the dudes is Puerto Rican and also Catholic but like, progressive about it. Diversity win!), and that's fine if you want to pass the time. But sometimes one wants to read something more profound and less hand-holdy. But often these stories are not made as visible by publishers and the god-forsaken social medias. I am very glad to see this series receive the recognition it deserves.
To close, this is a very good story. One that won't leave my mind for a long time. A true coming-of-age story, but like, good instead of boring. Very narratively capable, held up until the very end, digestible, and lovable. I don't give it 5 stars only because I reserve that status for true literary masterpieces, but it is genuinely one of the best books I've ever read and has great personal significance
I loved this book so much. From the beginning I clocked it as a great work. I think it took me so long to finish it because I struggled to be in the right environment to emotionally take it all in; and also because I didn't want it to end :p.
I somehow enjoyed this one even more than the first one. It may be because I read this one in the original English while the first one was a translation. But--and this is pure speculation--I believe that the success of the first book may have freed Alire Sáenz's prose in a way, gave him licence to write as he pleased, so to speak. This book felt like an essay into the more poetical aspects of literary expression, a rejection of the cheap and rote slop of contemporary YA "literature"; a very welcome breath of fresh air.
As for its plot and themes, I found them to be very profound and touching. I saw myself in the characters in this book in ways I haven't in a work of fiction for quite some time. The circumstances of the protagonist and mine are very similar in many ways, but I think anyone with a kind soul will see themselves in the main characters. I found its setting very pertinent to today; it is nice to see how far we've progressed on Queer liberation in such a short time, but also useful to find parallels between the struggles our elders experienced and the issues we are facing today. It has been a while since I read a work marked as YA fiction that had something to say, some kind of statement to make, however uncontroversial it may be.
I think often LGBT novels are pigeonholed into being simple permutations of the same fanfic tropes (but hey one of the dudes is Puerto Rican and also Catholic but like, progressive about it. Diversity win!), and that's fine if you want to pass the time. But sometimes one wants to read something more profound and less hand-holdy. But often these stories are not made as visible by publishers and the god-forsaken social medias. I am very glad to see this series receive the recognition it deserves.
To close, this is a very good story. One that won't leave my mind for a long time. A true coming-of-age story, but like, good instead of boring. Very narratively capable, held up until the very end, digestible, and lovable. I don't give it 5 stars only because I reserve that status for true literary masterpieces, but it is genuinely one of the best books I've ever read and has great personal significance
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Racism, Terminal illness, Transphobia, and Murder
Minor: War