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A review by book_mark_shelf
Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
4.0
I think Mr Sáenz has done it again. I really enjoyed this second book, but I must say I was taken by surprise with the topics included in the story. I started reading the novel with the thought that it will address and show the love of Aristotle and Dante bloom, but this wasn’t necessary the main topic on the table! And it was a very pleasant surprised.
The novel starts off where the first of the duologies left off. The main characters are entering into their final year of high school and covers the enter year. I would definitely encourage readers to read ‘Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe’ first before picking this up because you will be able to appreciate the storyline more and understand the growth of the two main characters, along with their relationships.
My emotions were all over the place with this book, I think it struck a chord in my heart with the each resounding matter. From building a relationship with distant family members, to the frightfully sobering effects of the AIDS pandemic! Even though this is fiction, it still makes you think of the terrifying reality of real life and what other people go through.
I think that it is quite poetic that I read this book now, with Father’s Day approaching.
Even though I really enjoyed the novel, there was a few instances were I felt uncomfortable. When Ari befriended Cassandra, there was a moment where Dante thought Ari was bisexual and it made him feel that he loved him less. This didn’t really sit right with me and I feel that the topic could have been expanded more to incorporate the explanation and reasons of this. Another was when to topic of transgender came up and the writing style to describe gender. As this novel was set in the 1980’s, I believe, even though I felt uncomfortable with it, it added to the storyline because it showed the ignorance to gender and sexuality at that time, which also makes you think how far the LGBTQIA+ community has come.
I have rated this 4 starts because even though it was a fantastic novel, I can't help but think of the certain topics that could have been expanded on.
The novel starts off where the first of the duologies left off. The main characters are entering into their final year of high school and covers the enter year. I would definitely encourage readers to read ‘Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe’ first before picking this up because you will be able to appreciate the storyline more and understand the growth of the two main characters, along with their relationships.
My emotions were all over the place with this book, I think it struck a chord in my heart with the each resounding matter. From building a relationship with distant family members, to the frightfully sobering effects of the AIDS pandemic! Even though this is fiction, it still makes you think of the terrifying reality of real life and what other people go through.
I think that it is quite poetic that I read this book now, with Father’s Day approaching.
Even though I really enjoyed the novel, there was a few instances were I felt uncomfortable. When Ari befriended Cassandra, there was a moment where Dante thought Ari was bisexual and it made him feel that he loved him less. This didn’t really sit right with me and I feel that the topic could have been expanded more to incorporate the explanation and reasons of this. Another was when to topic of transgender came up and the writing style to describe gender. As this novel was set in the 1980’s, I believe, even though I felt uncomfortable with it, it added to the storyline because it showed the ignorance to gender and sexuality at that time, which also makes you think how far the LGBTQIA+ community has come.
I have rated this 4 starts because even though it was a fantastic novel, I can't help but think of the certain topics that could have been expanded on.