Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World

23 January 2022: Finished this book today, despite starting it back in October. This delay is no reflection on the book, which is lovely and gentle. It reads like "fan service," but not in a bad way. Sáenz gets to the topics you'd expect him to get to if you read the first book: the AIDS crisis, Ari's brother, senior year, etc.  While I could see the big twist coming early on (from the blurb on the back) and seeing it coming cast a pall over the book from the start, Sáenz's choices still surprised me in good ways. 

The book focuses more on friendship than I thought it would, which is a good thing, too. It felt right to see Ari branch out and build meaningful relationships beyond his parents and Dante. I keep thinking about his friendship with Cassandra, a new character. It is intense and deep and meaningful. They get each other, see each other...change each other's lives. As I think about my dear friend and her health crisis, I realize how much she is my own Cassandra.