#11: Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

[kareila]

Like Will Grayson, this story explores teenage homosexuality, but much more realistically. Dante and Ari are two Mexican-Americans living in El Paso in 1987. Dante is outgoing and sure of himself but doesn't fit in anywhere, while Ari is painfully introverted and depressed. The two loners meet cute at a swimming pool - Ari can't swim, and Dante offers to teach him how. The story goes on to recount the events of the next two years of their lives.

I thought this was a really touching and well-told story. I particularly liked how the parents were portrayed as real people with real problems, and not just cardboard authority figures.