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

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

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Publication Date: February 21, 2012
Source: ARC from Baker and Taylor
Interest: Coming of Age

15 year old Aristotle is a late in life child for his parents. His twin sisters are grown with children of their own and his brother has been in prison for 11 years. His family doesn't talk about his brother - there's no pictures of him on the walls, they never even say his name, Ari doesn't even know why he is in prison. Ari's father served in Vietnam, but that's something else that is never discussed. It's no wonder that Ari tends to keep things inside.

Ari meets Dante at the local swimming pool. Dante is unlike anyone Ari has ever met. Dante talks about everything and is openly affectionate with his parents. Ari knows that he has a good life and should be grateful for what he has but he can't help but be frustrated by the questions he has that he can't ask his parents. Ari and Dante question how the world works around them and how they fit in it.

I really loved this book but while trying to write the above description I could tell that it's going to be a hard book to sell. While there are some big events that happen in the book, the story doesn't revolve around those events so I can't tell someone, "It's about a boy who is hit by a car and how he recovers." Yes, that happens and it's a big event, but it's just a small part of the story. Basically, it's a very real coming of age story. The novel covers about 2 years and it's about how these two friends learn about themselves and the world around them. It's about about 2 families that aren't hiding huge unspeakable secrets like substance or sexual abuse, but families that keep smaller secrets from each other to protect themsleves and each other.

While it's not a story about a love triangle between humans and paranormal beings or a story about the end of the world as we know it, it is still a very gripping story. I couldn't wait to see how Ari dealt with his emotions that were on a knife's edge between love and hate. I'm a little sorry that I read this book so early in the year because it has set a pretty high bar. I hope that I haven't just finished my favorite book of the year in the first week of February.



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