"Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" av Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Svenska titel: Inte utgiven på Svenska
Originaltitel: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe 
Författare: Benjamin Alire Sáenz 
Utgiven: 2012
Förlag: Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 9781442408920
Genre: Young adult & Bildungsroman

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 on 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. 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 on 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.

Texten på baksidan av boken lovar ett gott slut. Den lovar en berättelse om turbulens men att allt kommer vara värt det.

Det är, trotts allt som händer, en finstämd bok. Det känns att författaren älskar människor. Han behandlar dem varsamt, även mitt i allt det svåra.

“To be careful with people and with words was a rare and beautiful thing.”

Citatet, ovan, handlar om Ari's pappa – och det är mycket möjligt att författaren inte själv förstår att det verkar vara en bra beskrivning av hans egna verk.

Det är en bok om att växa in i sin egen person.

“I had a feeling there was something wrong with me. I guess I was a mystery even to myself.”

Through that telescope, the world was closer and larger than I’d ever imagined. And it was all so beautiful and overwhelming and – I don’t know - it made me aware that there was something inside of me that mattered.

“This is my problem. I want other people to tell me how they feel. But I'm not so sure I want to return the favor.”

Och en bok om kärlek.

“Why do we smile? Why do we laugh? Why do we feel alone? Why are we sad and confused? Why do we read poetry? Why do we cry when we see a painting? Why is there a riot in the heart when we love? Why do we feel shame? What is that thing in the pit of your stomach called desire?”

“One of the secrets of the universe was that our instincts were sometimes stronger than our minds.”

I wondered what that was like, to hold someone’s hand. I bet you could sometimes find all of the mysteries of the universe in someone’s hand.

Jag rekommenderar den varmt. Ari och Dante fångar varandras hjärtan I den här boken – och mitt. Definitivt mitt.

Du kan köpa den här och här. Böckerna finns säkerligen på en massa andra ställen också förstås! Man kan säkert låna den på biblioteken också.