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** spoiler alert ** This is a very sweet book about two boys named Aristotle (Ari) and Dante who meet during the summer of 1987 in El Paso where they live and have to learn not to be angry or ashamed to be themselves. I read the book in one day. There is lots of dialogue and many fast chapters, so it’s easy reading. I liked the writing style. However, I found some dialogue a bit unrealistic.
The reason for 4 stars and not 5 is that the ending seemed the most unrealistic. It wrapped up too easily. By 1988, Dante has come out as gay, and he is in love with Ari. Sorry, but I think it VERY unlikely that two sets of Mexican-American parents in 1988, at the height of the AIDS crisis when gay men were totally stigmatized, would be so accepting that Ari and Dante loved each other. Dante’s parents are a stereotypical accepting family. Ari’s parents are more quiet and conservative, at least that’s what Ari thinks. Both boys feel shame because of what society says in 1988 (and today), but it isn’t until the last couple chapters, after Ari’s parents sit down and open up to him, telling him they know he loves Dante, that Ari feels it’s okay to accept that side of himself. Ari’s parents were made more accepting because of Aunt Ophelia who Ari barely remembers but who had a “wife� that she loved until she died of cancer. When Aunt Ophelia dies, Ari realizes his parents accept LBGTQ people. These little revelations help Ari come to terms with himself by giving him “permission� to accept he loves Dante. And at the end, when Ari beats up one of the boys who beat up Dante after they saw him kissing Daniel (another boy who is really a fill in for Ari), Ari’s parents finally confess why Ari’s brother is in prison. They admit Bernardo beat and killed a transvestite.
*I’m sorry, but all of this seems a convenient plot device to allow Ari to accept himself and admit his feelings for Dante. I don’t know why it bothered me so much, but it did. I really liked the book. Both characters are great. As someone who grew up in the late 80’s, coming out was not common, and parental acceptance was much less common. I guess Ari and Dante are lucky that they have such loving families who accept their love. The story wouldn’t end happily otherwise.