Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
My goodreads rating: 5 of 5 stars
I’ve been on a serious non-fiction jag. Kind of a non-reading jag, really. Summer and all that, I suppose. Not sure how it throws me so far off kilter, but it does. Regardless, when fall set in this year and my fingers started twitching for more pages, they found non-fiction first. I couldn’t seem to find my way in anyone’s fictional world.
And then the kiddo shoved another book into my hands. Last time she asked me to read something it was Maggie Stiefvater’s All the Crooked Saints, a definite winner, so I didn’t buck Aristotle and Dante. Also, it’s been on my To Read list for quite a while. I’ve even had it from the library thrice. Once on audio book. With Lin Manuel Miranda reading it. Even with that added carrot, I just never quite got around to picking it up.
Well, this time, the book wasn’t from the library. It was a very special copy that a very special person gave to Rachel, signed and dedicated to her by the author. Man, it pays to have librarian connections…
This was one of the books I read slowly because I just didn’t want it to end. I could have plowed through it in a few days, but where’s the fun in that? I drew it out for weeks. And then I cried.
Benjamin Alire Sáenz manages to turn a quiet and tender tale–some might even call it slow–into an inarguable page turner. He lays open the fragile existence of humanity on the page. He tackles the daunting task of putting redemption in ink, and he does it well. Beautifully.
I’m not going to say a whole lot more than that.
If nothing else can get you to read it, have you seen the cover art?
Go read it,
KJ
Tucked happily into the gorgeous hills and woods of Wisconsin, I write about life, faith, and the humor that both require. 
Tales From the Nexus 
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