The Saving of Aris

NovaMelia   
Outskirts Press (2009)
ISBN 9781432751333
Reviewed by Victoria Gonzales for Reader Views (08/10)


This book is very interesting. It allows you a glimpse into the life of a young boy with very little given to him in life. He has to learn everything on his own, with no help from any of his family or friends. Aristophane Ball is a boy who is confused by the world, emotions, and relationships, and seems to have never experienced love. He has no idea who his mother or father is, though he lives with extended family including two possible mothers, and has some idea about who his father is. It was a little difficult to keep up with some of the events in the book, as they seem to be disjointed in time. Additionally, the dialogue is hard to follow because the characters use slang and have bad grammar.

Aris makes few friends, and the few he does make are usually not the best people to be friends with. He makes a lot of mistakes, and has a very odd view of the world. He has a very poor understanding of anything that is not completely logical, and both his classmates and family make fun of him. He gets in a lot of fights, but eventually he is on the right side of a fight when he protects a girl from being raped. Due to this scene and a few others, I do not recommend this book to children.

Overall the book was very interesting and I am glad to have read it. It is a worthwhile read, and presents a very different view on the coming-of-age type stories, and has a welcome, unexpected twist to the typical ending. You may feel like you are left hanging, but I think that it is a very realistic portrayal of young adults who also feel the same way as Aris at different points in their lives. I recommend “The Saving of Aris” to young adults and adults who want to read a surprising coming-of-age story.

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