Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire SaenzThe story begins in the summer of 1987, 15 yr old Aristotle (Ari), has a good relationship with his mother, his father is a man of few words and the two don't know where to begin. Ari also misses his older brother, Bernardo immensely but since he went to prison no one in the family is allowed to speak his name. Ari is angry and always ready to fight, until he meets Dante at the pool Ari has no friends. 15yr Dante is almost the complete opposite of Ari, he's closer is father and unafraid to show kindness and is sure of who he is.
Somehow these soon to be men who are very different quickly become good friends, as the story evolves their bond gets even stronger. As the summers pass, the boys experince love, pain, heartache and loss, pretty much every emotion that will touch your heart. Saenz does it in such a poetic way, you can't help but be fully engaged and moved by the beauty of his words.
Reading Saenz is always a beautiful experience, he is one of my favorites. Every single time I read one of his novels, I happily lose myslef in his words. When I am finished the characters he's created will stay with me for a long time. If you've never read Saenz you are seriously missing out but Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is a wonderful place to begin. A 2012 favorite.
An excerpt
Starred School Library Journal review
Starred Publishers Weekly review
1 comment:
I love Saenz books, too and cannot wait for this to come into the Media Ceter!
Post a Comment