Book report: Aristotle and Dante #2

[sasha_feather]

Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World
(Aristotle and Dante #2)
by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

I got an Advanced Reviewer's copy of this from a friend. Release date is Oct 12.

In short: I loved it!!

There are some books that get you where you live. That make you feel less alone, that comfort you and expand your view of yourself. This is one of those books.

Being gay can be joyful and liberating, and sometimes it can be really heavy and painful, trying to live and love in a world that largely either ignores you or hates you. Ari navigates this reality with his boyfriend Dante, their supportive parents, and with some new friends. Ari and Dante go camping; the attend their senior year of high school. It's 1988; AIDS is killing people around them.

This is a quiet book, a beautiful book. Ari is a remarkable person, a deep thinker who struggles, and eventually succeeds, at truly connecting with other people. He struggles with seeing himself as worthy of love. With the help of his people, he grows into himself, into a sensitive and loving person.

We who are queer in this world, we need these kinds of hopeful stories.

Comments

[jesse_the_k]

Ahhhhhhh.

So glad this exists!

[sasha_feather]

Me too, it's so lovely!

[starshipfox]

I loved the first Ari and Dante novel and never expected there to be another one! That sounds lovely, I'll look out for it in August :3

[sasha_feather]

I didn't expect there to be a sequel either. This one picks up right where the first one left off, so it was useful to re-read #1, as I hadn't read it in years.