A review by amandalorianxo
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I feel like the 2020’s decade will the one where I discover and find myself myself reading books I should have read in high school and college but never did lol. Aristotle & Dante was one where I saw a multitude of times but didn’t bother picking up. Now that I finally did… I will say that the setting and the full cast wasn’t what lead me to three stars. It was more so the style of writing that made me question - where was the compelling, pull that makes me feel something for these two teens bonding together? It just doesn’t feel authentic. The constant action of laughing, the dialogue that repeats and sounds so unnatural.  I also was born in a Latin American family & even though I’m happy that the parents
are progressive, I can never see a parent telling their child “Hey you’re gay and you just aren’t aware so be gay with Dante (he’s been in love with you for over a year,)it’s ok.” Aren’t we supposed to let Aristotle figure that out for himself? Or maybe he’s bi or ace or doesn’t want a label / want to figure out his sexuality right now ? The odd brush of a murder of a trans person done by Bernardo also threw me off. I understand this is the late 80’s but … are we not going to acknowledge that’s wrong? Bernardo’s angry but his anger is no excuse to kill / hurt anyone.
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