By: Abeeha Shahid
Alire Sàenz, a critically acclaimed writer, tells the story of two young boys, Aristotle “Ari” Mendoza and Dante Quintana, over the time of two years as they age from fifteen to seventeen, growing up in El Paso, Texas during the 1980's. Narrated from Ari's point of view, following their story as they learn about friendship, love, loyalty, life, how to love themselves and the world around them and as they try to find a place for themselves in this society as teenagers.
Ari is a quiet boy who is angry at the world and constantly battles the feeling of being lost, looking for his meaning and purpose in life. The introduction gives an introspective look into Ari's confusion about everything around him.
"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 that we love? Why do we feel shame? What is that thing in the pit of your stomach called desire?"
He struggles with his racial and ethnic identity as a Mexican American always feeling like he is never "authentic enough". While the sentiment is never explicitly mentioned it can be felt in Ari’s interactions with his mom and Dante.
“We’re not really Mexicans. Do we live in Mexico?”
“But that’s where our grandparents came from.”
“Okay, okay. But do we actually know anything about Mexico?”
“We speak Spanish.”
“Not that good.”
“Speak for yourself, Dante. You’re such a pocho.”
“What’s a pocho?”
“A half-assed Mexican.”
This causes him to feel out of touch and alienated from the people around him.
"I don't belong anywhere. That's the problem"
Beyond race and ethnicity, Ari is influenced by his dysfunctional family with a mom in denial, a veteran father who is haunted by his unspoken past in Vietnam, and the refusal to talk about his brother who is in jail, creates an overwhelming feeling that no one in his family is willing to say what needs to be said. This causes Ari to become a recluse and shrink into himself.
"That's what I did with everything. Keep it inside"
He has no real friends and prefers being by himself. That is until he meets a boy named Dante during summer, by the pool. Dante who is so completely different from Ari, he knows what he wants, he wears his heart on his sleeve, he loves swimming, poetry, philosophy, novels and is an aspiring artist. He is open, affectionate, and communicative, qualities that both scare and intrigue Ari. Both of them bond over their unusual names and start hanging out, making way for an unexpected yet beautiful friendship.
A friendship that isn’t forced or easy. It has its ups and downs, they both fight and struggle to stay close during challenging times but they learn to care for the other in ways that keep them together through everything. The awkward tentative friendship blossoms into a bond that will make Ari question what he believes about himself and love.
Sàenze brings the events to life with vivid and realistic characters that are easy to relate and empathise to.
The novel has short, dialogue driven chapters that are impeccably written. The writing is straightforward and concise but every single sentence holds the weight of the universe with words that speak to you and keep you reading. Each moment develops from the last with the events flowing smoothly over the span of two years beautifully encompassing the characters maturing and changing with everything around them.
The narrative is perfectly paced with it being not too fast or not too slow in a way that allows you to feel exactly what Ari feels and makes you realise how each step, each event in his life allowed him to grow into a young man. How he comes to accept himself, his love for Dante and slowly learns to repudiate toxic masculinity. Ari feels alienated from the normative masculinity displayed by the boys at school and regards the boys objectification of women with disdain. He comes to admire Dante who stands in contrast to that kind of masculinity. He is friendly to everyone and doesn’t play the game of shoring up masculinity through acts of dominance and violence. He expresses his emotions freely and cries when he needs to.
This book is about the relationship between two boys and so much more. It's about their relationship with themselves, their culture and their family. It's about family history, social restrictions and what a man should be, violence and bigotry as well as love and acceptance.
It is the perfect book to read as you sit back, relax and let the words fill you with warmth. Especially during stressful times, it lets you escape reality and immerse yourself in the journey of Aristotle and Dante as they set out to figure out the world around them, making you laugh, smile, tear up, and fall in love with the characters.
My favourite quote from this book:
“The problem with my life was that it was someone else’s idea”
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