Author: Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Genre: Contemporary; Young Adult
Rating: 8.5/10
Aristotle and Dante could not be more different, yet they share one thing in common: they don’t fit in. When fate decides to push the two boys together, they discover a special friendship that will change the way they look at the world and themselves.
This book is a lot of people’s favourite book and has also won so many awards. So needless to say, I had very high expectations.
Firstly, I found the concept of the book to be very wholesome and heartwarming. The story itself seems simple; it’s about two boys who feel like outcasts because they’re different from other boys their age. Thankfully, they were able to find each other and together, they decide to try and make sense of the world around them. It’s a relatable coming of age story and a heartening book about the journey to self-discovery. Personally, I really loved the idea that when we’re trying to make sense of the world, we’re really trying to figure out our perception of it.
“I had a feeling there was something wrong with me. I guess I was a mystery even to myself.”
This book is about two boys becoming young adults, and that made for many awkward scenes. I like how these scenes are crude and uncensored, like children just bluntly voicing out their new experiences and discoveries. Furthermore, I quite enjoy reading about children learning and growing, and the cringe and embarrassment that comes with it, because at the end of the day, most of us went through something similar.
On another note, there was a lot of banter and conversation in this book. I’m not sure whether I was the only one who felt this way, but I found the way they spoke to be unnatural. As I read on, however, I became accustomed to the exchanges, and I believe they were used to showcase the uniqueness of these two families.
Nevertheless, I felt that the boys’ relationship made for some very interesting banter. I especially loved the juxtaposition between their personalities and attitudes towards life. I very much like the ‘opposites attract’ trope, and I think it was done beautifully in this book.
Something else I really enjoyed about the book was the relationships, be it familial, platonic or romantic. I loved the organic and natural development of their relationships; the progress they made and the gradual nature of it was definitely the highlight of the book for me.
Overall, this book has incredible depth and meaning, and I believe I would gain many new insights from rereads or from other reviewers’ thoughts and opinions.
Reviewed by: N.G.Rainwater (1st Reading)
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