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A review by noorandbooks
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
5.0
The quiet over the phone was strange. "Do you think it will always be this way?"
"What?"
"I mean, when do we start feeling like the world belongs to us?"
I wanted to tell him that the world would never belong to us. "I don't know," I said. "Tomorrow."
And tomorrow, the world was theirs.
This book has me sobbing and was such an amazing read and I think that everyone has to read this like. I'm about to throw hands. You need to read this. This was just. An absolutely amazing story. The way it's written is just so romantic and feels like you really are discovering the secrets of the universe and the dialogue, oh god, the dialogue is just too good.
My one problem though was with the transphobia:
Other than that,,, here's more of me sobbing to the book
My father nodded. "Ari, the problem isn't that Dante's in love with you. The real problem - for you, anyway - is that you're in love with him."
I didn't say anything. I just kept looking at my mother's face. And then my father's face.
I didn't know what to say. "I'm not sure, I mean, I don't think that's true. I mean, I just don't think so. I mean-"
"Ari, I know what I see. You saved his life. Why do you supposed you did that? Why do you suppose that, in an instant, without even thinking, you dove across the street and shoved Danted out of the way of a moving car? You think that just happened? I think you couldn't stand the thought of losing him. You just couldn't. Why would you risk your own life to save Dante if you didn't love him?"
"Because he's my friend."
"And why would you go and beat the holy crap out of a guy who hurt him? Why would you do that? All of your instincts, Ari, all of them, tell me something. You love that boy."
I kept staring down at the table.
"I think you love him more than you can bear."
I'm sorry I just I need a few minutes a few hours let me reread this book a few hundred times maybe I'll be okay then
"What?"
"I mean, when do we start feeling like the world belongs to us?"
I wanted to tell him that the world would never belong to us. "I don't know," I said. "Tomorrow."
And tomorrow, the world was theirs.
This book has me sobbing and was such an amazing read and I think that everyone has to read this like. I'm about to throw hands. You need to read this. This was just. An absolutely amazing story. The way it's written is just so romantic and feels like you really are discovering the secrets of the universe and the dialogue, oh god, the dialogue is just too good.
My one problem though was with the transphobia:
Spoiler
Ari's brother gets humanized to hell. It's treated as though he didn't commit 'trans panic' and a hate crime and I just... I despised that. And the sex worker isn't treated with proper pronouns or a name, just an extension of Ari's brother's character? I mean??? That just struck me as so awful. I hope maybe the next book goes into it and maybe addresses the homophobia that Ari clearly has.Other than that,,, here's more of me sobbing to the book
Spoiler
My father nodded. "Ari, the problem isn't that Dante's in love with you. The real problem - for you, anyway - is that you're in love with him."
I didn't say anything. I just kept looking at my mother's face. And then my father's face.
I didn't know what to say. "I'm not sure, I mean, I don't think that's true. I mean, I just don't think so. I mean-"
"Ari, I know what I see. You saved his life. Why do you supposed you did that? Why do you suppose that, in an instant, without even thinking, you dove across the street and shoved Danted out of the way of a moving car? You think that just happened? I think you couldn't stand the thought of losing him. You just couldn't. Why would you risk your own life to save Dante if you didn't love him?"
"Because he's my friend."
"And why would you go and beat the holy crap out of a guy who hurt him? Why would you do that? All of your instincts, Ari, all of them, tell me something. You love that boy."
I kept staring down at the table.
"I think you love him more than you can bear."
I'm sorry I just I need a few minutes a few hours let me reread this book a few hundred times maybe I'll be okay then