Aristotle And Dante Discover The Secrets Of The Universe Recommendation

I am so sorry for my absence over the last few weeks. I have been busy with so many things (including an untimely reading slump preventing me from writing any worthy reviews) that I have somewhat abandoned you. Fortunately, I'm back to stay now!

So after a long, irritating process in trying to purchase the hardback copy of Aristotle And Dante
Discover The Secrets Of The Universe (do you have any idea how hard it is to get hardbacks in Australia? Well I'll tell you. It's near impossible. And expensive.), it finally arrived and IT IS BEAUTIFUL. The cover, the writing, the characters, the setting, the plot, literally everything about it is beautiful. This is a coming-of-age contemporary by Benjamin Alire Sanez, and I would recommend it to everyone, regardless of age, gender, whatever. Read it. The synopsis is below;

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.

First of all, characters. Because we all know Lily loves characters. Aristotle and Dante are the most realistic, loveable, different characters I've ever read. They were wise beyond their years, but not in an obnoxious way. They still retained oodles of boyish-charm that was just perfect to see in contrast with their childish-wisdom. Ari was tough and clearly just needed a hug, and I wanted to dive into the book and wrap him in a blanket, hand him a mug of tea and hug him. The poor kid was so beautifully written he feels real to me. Dante, as the book was not from his point of view, was harder to pin-point, but he was equally as loveable. He was the peace to Ari's anger, and it was more than clear to see that they fir together perfectly. Dante was clever, he was friendly, he was unabashedly open about his feelings, and seeing him next to Ari was beautiful.

The setting worked perfectly. The late 80's were a beautiful backdrop for this gem of a story, and it was really a refreshing break from all the YA that's set in nowadays-ish-era.

The plot was slower than usual, but it didn't feel slow. The book flowed at a nice, consistent pace that really aided the movement of time in this novel. The novel spans over a year or two, but the book never felt like it was dragging on. It had the distinct coming-of-age contemporary feel, and so it wasn't very fast-paced.

Ari and Dante's changing relationship was done so well and I am in awe of how well Benjamin Alire Sanez was able to write their interactions and relationship in such a way that was completely consistent with their characters.

There isn't much more I can say about this book, but I will say that it is completely worth reading. It is adorable and dorky and meaningful, and I have a feeling it will make its way onto my favourites list.

Share your thoughts on Aristotle and Dante below in the comments. As always, feel free to hit me up on any of my social media accounts to discuss all things bookish, and also, if you'd like to buy my book, head to Amazon, Book Depository, Barnes & Noble Online and more to get your physical or e-copy. If you'd like a free copy in exchange for a review on your blog, goodreads etc, please email me at mywordsarearrows@gmail.com and I will get you a copy :)

Have a lovely week and I'll see you soon with a new post!

Lily xoxo