The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Saenz
YA Fiction
What it’s about: The coming of age of Salvador Silva. Adopted at a young age by Vicente, a homosexual artist living in Texas, Salvador struggles with his identity. Just before his senior year of high school, he receives a letter from his deceased mother and starts becoming more aggressive at school. He wonders about his biological father, and if these feelings of anger are coming from a man he has never met. Intertwined with these feelings of self-discovery are his relationships with best friend Sam, a misunderstood classmate Fito, and his beloved grandmother, Mima.
Why you might like it: Saenz, having published poetry before publishing novels, writes in a way that makes reading enjoyable. His characters are complex but also universal. Everyone in this world can relate to feelings of anger and doubt, uncertainty and hopelessness, but also closure and pure joy. He conveys such emotions effortlessly.
Further reading: If you liked this, you will absolutely love Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, also by Benjamin Alire Saenz.