[Book Review] Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

I really don't remember from where exactly I got this book. Maybe the cover of the book got me interested in it or it may be the name itself. I was definitely familiar with Aristotle because I had a whole semester around that guy and I vaguely remember Dante too. So what I meant to say was I really think it was the cover. The way the title was written and also the cherry red chevy pick-up truck at the bottom left, both caught my attention and I was glad for that because this book is "gold" and I really mean it.

"Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" by Mexican-American author Benjamin Alire Sáenz is a small novel that lets you discover the universe by yourself. Funny and confused Aristotle sees the universe as an 'inscrutable' place where he cannot decipher neither his family and friends nor himself. On meeting Dante he decides to add Dante to his 'inscrutable' list even though the very word 'inscrutable' is something that Dante taught him. The forging of a friendship and its transformation into a beautiful universe is what this book has to offer.

“Through all of youth I was looking for you
without knowing what I was looking for”

― W.S. Merwin 

 The book was an easy read with its plain language but nevertheless enjoyable and gripping. The one thing I really liked about this novel is that it has got so many lines which will make you stop reading for a second and sit with that. Two of my favourite lines from the book were- "Turning on the radio and just sitting there was my version of praying" and "Too many intimate strangers"(sorry, I'm really into oxymorons). Talking about the characters- Dante is a sensitive, intelligent and likable guy while Aristotle is a hard guy but equally caring. The parents though similar were different in their own significant ways. To be honest, I really didn't expect anything from this book but it turned out to be the best one that has touched my heart not through the story really but through the thought flow (Stream of Consciousness) of Aristotle that the author has penned down. I also liked Ari's rendezvous in his pick-up truck but I really didn't get the deal about the Mexican thing in the novel but I get it now as the author Benjamin is part Mexican so he must have thought it would be fun but really, I didn't get it. 
This novel is a gnash of everything that's human emotion and touching. There's friendship, the infinite love of parents, the sensitivity of some souls and the stupidity of few others, there's love and there is the whole secrets of the universe waiting to be discovered. I would definitely recommend this one for a casual no-expectation kind of read. It's a small book so that's an added bonus for those looking for small ones (I finished it in two days). It might surprise you, it really did me. Anyway so I'm just gonna wrap this one with two more quotes from the novel.

“I didn't understand how you could live in a mean world and not have any of that meanness rub off on you. How could a guy live without meanness?”

“The problem with trying hard not to think about something was that you thought about it even more.” 

 

 

[Book Review] Wonder

R J Palacio's "Wonder" is an emotional roller coaster of a wonder child who finds his place in this world. The cover page of this small novel is what attracted me. The blue book with a single eye and a face may sound weird but it does look good. 

The novel is about a boy called August Pullman who is born with a rare mandibulofacial disorder. Home-schooled till fourth grade, August decides to enroll in a normal school to start his middle school. Though middle school proved tougher than he imagined, August with the help of his family and friends finds his place in the world. 

The novel was an easy read; the language was simple and I think the author might have aimed for children. It does sound a lot like Children's novel but I think it would be a great one for young adults too. There wasn't much to talk about other characters apart from August and his sister Olivia. August grabs our attention with his noble characters and understanding nature while Olivia realises her self obsession pretty fast and that was interesting for me. I also liked the thing about August and Halloweens and the whole idea that behind the mask no-one recognises him and thus he is free. There were a few comic elements from August's dad and his friends. All in all, the book won't blow you away or anything. It's just an easy and fast read as it's a small novel. 

[Book Review] The Time Traveller's Wife

 

Audrey Niffenegger's 'The Time Traveller's Wife' is a science fiction with the dose of time travelling. The cover would initially look quite confusing but later when you get on with the novel you'll get a hang of the idea that the author depicts countless times throughout the novel. 

The story deals with two main characters - Henry DeTamble and Claire Abshire. Henry knows that Claire is the girl of his life because of his ability to time travel. Along his paranormal journey, he discovers secrets about his own life. 

The plot is quite jumbled up because of the time travelling. It is nonlinear throughout the novel. Sometimes we have two Henrys from different age and timeline. Personally, I felt it quite hard to follow initially but later on things began to get interesting when the puzzle pieces began to fit. The overall storyline is dull; nothing to be much excited about when you take away the element of time travelling from it. I do appreciate the effort the author must have taken to write in nonlinear form. It's really hard and tiring but the novel was worth it. The Epilogue was a tad bit unnecessary I think. It felt like the author wanted to deliberately play with time travelling a little longer. Overall, would recommend this for one time read if you are a science fiction fan and looking for a little extraordinary something. It won't disappoint you if you read it without any great expectations.