There is a quote in Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe which reads: “I bet you could find all the mysteries of the universe in someone’s hand.”

The quote reminds me of the novel which holds it. After reading this book, you will come away with the feeling that the novel contains many lessons and answers to difficult questions that in another time in your life, perhaps when you were younger, you desperately craved for. Writing about the teenage experience is difficult. Writing about teenage sexuality within the teenage experience is difficult, complex and requires a delicate and deft hand. Yet, Benjamin Alire Saenze manages to do this to almost perfection in his beautiful, tender and genuinely warm novel about two interestingly-named Mexican-American boys, Aristotle and Dante, who fall in love with each other.
The book does fall into the category of LGBT Fiction, but it is so, so much more than just that. This is a book about growing up, about finding yourself, about family, about friendship and about love. It’s the kind of book that can be enjoyed by anyone. Take, for example, the simple premise. Aristotle meets Dante and they become friends over the summer, but then Dante has to leave at the beginning of the new school year. Who didn’t have a friend throughout the few months during the school holidays, only to be separated when school started again or when you returned home? Aristotle’s relationship with his parents is strained for several reasons, including the fact that his brother is serving a life sentence in prison for murdering a prostitute after he found out she was a transgender woman. Nothing like that may have happened in your family, but who does not recall being alienated from his/her family as a teenager? For a long time, only one of the boys acknowledges his love for the other. Now, tell me, who hasn’t been in the position where there is unrequited? Undoubtedly, one of the greatest things about the book is its universal appeal. No matter who you are, or where you come from, there are certain things, certain experiences we all have, which connects us and forms a large part of that phase of life we call “growing up.”
Saenz’s prose is spare and free of unnecessary embellishments. At first glance, it may appear as though he’s catering for his young adult audience by choosing to write in such a flow, and that may be the case, but more than that, Saenz’s writing contains a lightness, a breezy quality that reminds you, somehow, of the sunny days of youth. It is a strange thing, and a beautiful thing.
His characters too are extremely well-crafted. There is not a teenager in the world who will deny the accuracy of his presentations of Aristotle and Dante. Their every emotion and every decision (good or bad) in the novel are definitely believable. Saenz’s ability to convey the confusion and heartache of these two characters as they navigate life is something truly special. If you don’t believe me, then the slew of awards that the book picked up should be enough to tell you that it is a really well-written novel. You will love it, and you will be able to relate to it, and you will cry in the end.