A review by ptsungirl
The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

5.0

"It's not other people who make you feel like you're alone. You do it to yourself."

°•*⁀➷

How to find the words for something so beautiful. So real. The struggles that Sal finds himself going through are hard, unkind, and so much. I just wanted to give him a hug the entire time. I knew that Sam would make up for my inability to do so, though. That helped.

This book tackled death, loss, forgiveness, violence, friendship, adoption, youth to adulthood and all the changes that follow and so much more.

Everything Ben writes is magic. I want to read everything he'll ever write (if my bank account will let me).

I think my favorite part was that it wasn't just his grief, his loss, his forgiveness... it was a whole cast of characters of various ages going through it at the same time. The friendships that build from that bond can either tear you apart or lift you up, and thankfully for Sal, Sam and Fito, it's the latter. I love that the "side" characters were just as important to the reading experience as Sal was, because Sal loved them so much it was impossible to see them any other way.

And his dad? An angel put on earth just to heal a lost boy's heart. I will never forget you Vicente Silva.

I love that sometimes friendship is just friendship, that being gay isn't a personality trait, that life goes on even if you don't want it to, no matter how old you are. I love Sam questioning the world, I love Fito writing everything down. I love that forgiveness is important, but in your own time. I love that we are who we are, not where we came from.

I just love Benjamin Alire Saenz.

- Paige