Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz / deserves all the hype

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

I can’t even tell anymore how long this book has been on my tbr. It’s quite embarrassing, especially since the book seems to be on every BEST OF list imaginable, everyone has read it except for me, and I was pushing it off for years – don’t ask me why. Nevertheless I finally felt like it was the right time to pick it up, and it totally was! I loved it!! And can only recommend to EVERYONE.

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A lyrical novel about family and friendship from critically acclaimed author Benjamin Alire Sáenz.

Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship–the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.

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

MY THOUGHTS

This book was incredible!!! The way it was written, the style, the topic, the characters – I could go on.

At first I thought “this is too lyrical for me”. I’m not usually drawn to books that are lyrical and actually do pretty badly with them. And when I started the audiobook it sounded very philosophical to me, but the longer I listened, the more I got drawn into the story and the characters until I couldn’t put it down anymore.

There are many reviews out there about this book, and I’m not going to rehash any of it. What I’ll be focusing on instead is what I loved the most about this book.

The boys

It’s not surprising that I loved Aristotle and Dante the most. They were such interesting individuals, opposite in many ways too, but also so adorably compatible.

Aristotle, liked to be alone, he was quiet, a loner at heart, but also had so much anger hidden deep inside him. He was not afraid of anyone, stood his ground, and his relationship with his parents was fascinating.

Dante was such a fun person, sassy, witty, pushy at times, and in sync with himself. I loved how he was able to draw Ari out, again and again. They really clicked, and completed the other, and the way they were drawn to each other made my heart all warm and gooey.

The friendship

I fell in love with the friendship between Ari and Dante. There was so much heart between them. Such a deep connection, but also fear and doubts. The story was so enthralling, centering on these two, their parents, and two summers of Ari and Dante. And it made me laugh so much at times. Dante was hilarious, and Ari was the recipient of all his humor, teasing, and inappropriate questions at times. And I loved it all!

The story

I loved what the story conveyed. The message. The way it was written, beautiful and meaningful. There is a reason why this book is so beloved. It was a surprise hit for me, for sure! I didn’t expect anything, mainly because I do poorly with hyped books, but like with THUG – this book deserves the hype and should be on anyone’s tbr.

For anyone who likes audiobooks, this is one that you’ll love to listen to – because the narration was done by none other than Lin-Manuel Miranda. YES, you read correctly!!! And he has narrated only a couple audiobooks so far, and this is one of them. And of course, it’s spectacularly well done!! So, go and grab it. With 7 hrs and 29 mins it has a great length and can be listened to in on day, or like me in two. 😀

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