Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is considered a hallmark of LGBTQ fiction in the Young Adult genre, and after reading, I could see why, (besides that it came out in 2012 when the only other gay fiction was by David Levithan).

After reading the first few chapters and checking the author bio, I was not surprised to learn that Sáenz is also a poet. His sparse, evocative style reminded me a short story's synergy of prose and poem. With Aristotle and Dante, that short story was drawn out to novel length. The characters, especially the parents, are fully realized and loveable. The relationships are awesome, and the desert mood delicious. The discussions of race are very real and echo conversations I've heard friends of color have. I also savored that particular magic of authenticity that happens when a male author writes about queer men. The great feelings behind very little words, the never-ending search, and the recourse to nature reminded me a lot of my brother. I'm not sure if those elements would have been present with a female author.

The two hiccups, which dropped my rating from five stars, are spoilers.

Late in the novel, Dante and Ari's parents, on separate occasions, sit Ari down to tell him he's queer. As a queer person and writer myself, this storytelling move feels quite bizarre. At this point, Ari has spent the whole novel trying to understand himself...and yet he's not the one to figure out something as intimate and personal as his own sexuality? Further, the reveal that Ari's brother is a violent transmisogynist came waaaaaay out of left field. Sure, his brother would not live up the ideal Ari set, but in a novel full of delicate feelings and short, tender eternities why describe a deed so cruel and hateful? Why against trans people? These writing decisions confused me.

While Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe isn't a perfect book, it's a hecking good one and perfect for summer. I definitely recommend it to fans of gay YA.