I
found myself whispering, “Do you think we’ll ever discover all the secrets of
the universe?”
I
was surprised to hear Susie’s voice answering my question. “That would be a
beautiful thing, wouldn’t it, Ari?”
“Yeah,”
I whispered. “Really beautiful.”
“Do
you think, Ari, that love has anything to do with the secrets of the universe?”
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
when Ari and Dante meet, the bond. They share books, thoughts, dreams,
laughter. They teach each other new vocabularies and begin to redefine each
other’s worlds. And they discover that the universe is a large and difficult
place.
This
is the story about two boys, Ari and Dante, who must learn to believe in each
other and the power of their friendship if they ever are to become men.
For me, this was that book that I
literally had to hug after I finished it. I don’t think I’ve ever loved a book
like I love this book. It shocks me how much emotion this little book evoked in
me. I think I love coming-of-age stories. Not only that, I love homosexual
ships that sail. This is a little-known fact about me.
Aristotle, or rather Ari, was a great
perspective to hear the story from. He was just a boy battling a war inside of
him just like his parents were battling their own. He wasn’t a man yet, and he
didn’t know when it would start. Ari’s voice was beautiful and the ending of
the book had me crying from happiness.
Then there’s his best friend, Dante.
He’s charming and the kindest boy ever. He introduces Ari to a wealth of new
things, and it’s amazing to see the beginning of their relationship. SPOILER:
Ari saves Dante’s life and that’s where you see the cogs turning. The doctor
asks why, when it could have killed Ari, and Ari responds that it was a reflex.
Saving the love of your life should be a reflex. END SPOILER.
The way AUTHOR wrote the book was
also gorgeous. Every chapter ended on a sort of thinker from Ari. There were a
lot of little moments like that throughout the book where Ari was just trying to figure life out
(his to be more specific), and I loved them all. I kept wanted to get to the
end of the chapter because I loved them so much. But I also loved starting the
next chapter. It was an endless cycle.
The only thing I don’t think I liked
were how Gina and Susie’s characters weren’t a constant or consistent thing
throughout the book. They did their purpose, but I wish they’d been consistent.
Granted, the only friend Ari ever needed was Dante.
Did I mention the ending killed me?
I have to go buy this book and read it again it was so good. It was
heartwarming and heartbreaking all at the same time. Beautiful, beautiful book,
and I really can’t say more lest I look like an obsessed maniac. Everyone needs
to read this book!
XOXO Tia
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