Books: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz (2012)

 

"Dante can swim. Ari can't. Dante is articulate and self-assured. Ari has a hard time with words and suffers from self-doubt. Dante gets lost in poetry and art. Ari gets lost in thoughts of his older brother who is in prison. Dante is fair skinned. Ari's features are much darker. It seems that a boy like Dante, with his open and unique perspective on life, would be the last person to break down the walls that Ari has built around himself. But against all odds, when Ari and Dante meet, they develop a special bond that will teach them the most important truths of their lives, and help define the people they want to be. But there are big hurdles in their way, and only by believing in each other―and the power of their friendship―can Ari and Dante emerge stronger on the other side." 

There is so much to love in novel for the YA (and adult) crowd. A lyrical tale of two teens who meet at the time the universe needs them most, one a light skinned Mexican and the other, a darker skinned one. Light and dark, one who has open and supportive parents, one who is also supportive ones, but both Ari’s parents have dark secrets that have been –unintentionally- transferred to their youngest son. I can understand Ari a lot –a teenager who has no friends (and doesn’t want them) - who is angry at the world. And he has no understanding exactly why this is, why he feels this way. But Ari understands that the world has written his story, knows its ending, and easily accepts he’ll travel down the road his older brother Bernardo went –who is in prison, but Ari’s parent refuse to talk about it.

Dante is the light that Ari has been searching for and it’s very clear early on that he’s in love with Ari of -course the Ari does not catch on right away. Their friendship is portrayed very honestly here, with realistic dialogue and writer Benjamin Alire Sáenz gorgeous prose filled with poetry and visual trickery. Set in El Pasco in 1987, Alire Sáenz captures the era with fine detail and almost dream-like feelings. It will remind many older readers of time when things were complicated, but still simple. When friendship meant everything and where you can –if you try- learn to reject what the outside universe expects of you