Author: Benjamin Alire Saenz
Rating: 5/5 stars
Goodreads Summary: Dante can swim. Ari can't. Dante is articulate and self-assured. Ari has a hard time with words and suffers from self-doubt. Dante gets lost in poetry and art. Ari gets lost in thoughts of his older brother who is in prison. Dante is fair skinned. Ari's features are much darker. It seems that a boy like Dante, with his open and unique perspective on life, would be the last person to break down the walls that Ari has built around himself.
But against all odds, when Ari and Dante meet, they develop a special bond that will teach them the most important truths of their lives, and help define the people they want to be. But there are big hurdles in their way, and only by believing in each other―and the power of their friendship―can Ari and Dante emerge stronger on the other side.
Review:
I did a review for this on my old blog when I originally read it almost 3 years ago, but re-reading it recently has inspired me to review it again. Let me start by saying that this book is one of my all-time favourites (seen by the fact I rarely give out 5 star ratings). I'd thought this for awhile, but it was nicely validating to re-read it so many years later and still stand by that statement. This is the kind of book I want to write. Not necessarily similar plots or themes or anything like that, but I want to someone to love a story I created like I love this book. Also, to be able to build characters with such care and authenticity...Saenz is just such a good writer.
Not only is it a good read, but an important one. Sometimes that word feels cheap, but important is just the best way to describe it. It effortlessly explores friendship, family struggle, questions of identity, complexities of love and more in between, and ties them altogether to highlight how so many factors create a person. Particularly I loved the significance of family and culture because they often get sidelined in a lot of books.
But of course, what truly tugs at my heart strings is the relationship between Ari, our MC, and Dante. There is something just so pure and satisfying about these two. Their interactions felt so genuine and the way they develop and grow together is just beautiful. They're personalities and perspectives on life vary so much, but they have this bond that runs deeper than that. And, of course, it is just so damn satisfying to have two queer characters in a middle grade novel...THAT ALSO GET A HAPPY ENDING. Basically, I'm just very overwhelmed when I think about them.
I think the biggest criticism this book gets is that it lacks plot. Which is something I agree with, but not something I'm particularly bothered by. The story of the characters and how their relationships grow and evolve is the heart of this book. They give so much that it doesn't need an over-arching plot to be enjoyable. You get enough from the smaller stories.
I would also highly recommend giving the audiobook a listen. I originally read it with the physical copy but then I found out Lin-Manuel Miranda (ie. Alexander Hamilton/one of my favourite humans on this earth) narrated it and I just HAD TO HAVE IT. He does a superb job at telling this story, most likely because he is actually a performer, but also because he says the Spanish words correctly, something my non-Spanish speaking mind has trouble with. If you do give the audiobook a listen, I must recommend going on a nice drive with the windows down and this beautiful book playing through the speakers. The atmosphere is a little bit perfect.
Let me know down below what your thoughts on this book are so we can all gush about it together, haha.
Until next time!
- Jess, xxx
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