"Arisotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe"

"Arisotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe"
Written by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Reviewed by Diana Iozzia

"Arisotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" is a gentle, coming-of-age story about our main characters, Aristotle and Dante. These two genuine and fragile young men are interesting, sweet, and scared, needing to overcome tough teenage years. With the help of each other and their friendship, they blossom and grow into great people.

I had listened to this book in audiobook form, which was a great decision. The narrator is the wonderful genius Lin-Manuel Miranda. He brings such extra life into the words that the author has written. The inclusion of Miranda as the narrator absolutely enhanced the reading experience.

Aristotle is our main character, whose perspective tells us the story. He is an angry and sad teen, who misses his incarcerated brother, a time when his family felt normal, and his best friend who has moved away. Dante is a refreshing and adorable character, who has been discovering his sexuality.

The caring friendship between the two boys has the simplicity and mirrored complexity combined into a great story.

In some chapters of the story, we receive little plot. However, those chapters provide important character and details about Ari and Dante. Learning about them explains how they will act together. Their weaknesses and successes balance out, allowing their friendship to bring forth the best versions of themselves, although it is not very easy.

I feel that many different types of people can learn from this story. I personally began to understand my relationship with my parents and my brother, which was enlightening. I believe that this story can be enjoyed by teens and adults of all ages. The story never feels juvenile or dated.

I highly recommend this to readers of Adam Silvera's, Becky Albertalli's, Stephen Chbosky's, Jared Reck's, and John Green's novels. I love a great teen coming of age story, especially when it has been well-crafted as well as this one. Please take a chance on this one. This was such a sweet and heartwarming story. The depiction of love, young gay characters, and family were so well-crafted. I look forward to reading other novels by this author.