The second book in the Aristotle and Dante series, Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz was (dare I say?) even more beautiful than the first. I read Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe this past December, and I absolutely adored it. I waited a bit to read the second because I worried it wouldn’t live up to the first. I was wrong! Sáenz’s writing was every bit as eloquent and heartfelt as in the first. Seeing the world from Ari’s perspective is such a treasure- the way he sees and understands people and their actions are incomparable to any other narrator I have read. His observations are insightful and oftentimes terribly sad. Ari does not think much of himself, which is so hard to understand because as the reader I loved him so very much.
In this second book, Ari and Dante have only grown a year or so older, but boy have they grown up. Quick maturity was a right of passage for them both because of what they went through the year before (Ari saving Dante’s life, hate crimes, coming out to their parents) and because of the looming AIDS pandemic. Ari is learning how to navigate, or more accurately be a “cartographer of his new map of the world” amidst a time where gay men were being feared and blamed more than ever before. He also faces a major loss and has to deal with that grief on top of all of his other stresses. Through it all, he remains a deep thinker and even deeper friend.
Something different about this book was Ari’s focus on his relationships with his parents, and friends. I enjoyed reading about how he handled both normal and abnormal social situations with such grace. My favorite scenes were probably those with his mom and dad. They way he communicates with them both is so heartwarming- he seems so much older than he is in the way he speaks to them, and I love when he says he’s “crazy about his parents”. So sweet.
Overall, Sáenz did not disappoint with this Aristotle and Dante sequel. He elegantly wrote about difficult topics, such as the AIDS crisis and racism. I love seeing the world from Ari’s point of view and wish the book didn’t have to end so soon! Fingers crossed his story with Dante doesn’t end here.
Rating: 5/5 journal entries
xx, Lauren
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