Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman
This is a book I have been wanting to read for quite a while. I watched the film beforehand and absolutely loved it, so I knew it wanted to read the book since movies never quite measure up. And, like the saying goes, this book was better than the movie! The way Aciman expresses the main character’s emotions and thoughts throughout the book is exquisite. I truly don’t think I have read a book that lets you into the character’s thoughts and soul as completely as this novel did. There were even times when I felt as if there was a bit too much information given. Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading this book and I learned a lot from it. I am excited to share a little bit about it with you guys!
We begin the story at the beginning of Oliver’s six week visit with the Perlman family at their vacation home in Italy. Elio is immediately attracted to Oliver but doesn’t pursue anything until later on. The whole story explains how their relationship progresses within this short time period. Though there are numerous side characters here and there, our two main men we read about in this book are Elio, the 17-year-old and Oliver, the 24-year-old. Elio is the son of a very intellectual professor who encourages Elio to read important works of literature, practice different musical instruments and learn multiple languages. Because of this, Elio is very wise, intelligent and much more in touch with his emotions than most 17-year-old boys. Oliver is a graduate student who was invited to visit and study with Elio’s father over the summer. This is how the two came to meet and eventually fall in love.
Readers only learn about the relationship that blossoms throughout this story through Elio’s point of view. As a result of this, the book is written in a stream of conscious form.The way the author describes Elio’s feelings, thoughts and actions is so deep and fluid that I felt like I was inside of Elio’s mind multiple times while reading! This was a super cool and interesting sensation for me, but it also kind of annoyed me at times. I just felt like there was too much back and forth between thoughts and so much time wasted explaining every thought. It just got to be a bit too much for me. I found myself feeling thankful that I don’t have to read the transcription of all my thoughts that run around in my head! (LOL) I would definitely make myself sick with the random changes in train of thought or long, drawn out thoughts that don’t end up really going anywhere. Long story short, I like the idea and execution of Aciman’s stream of consciousness, but I also found it to be a bit exhausting after a while. But, for people who DO enjoy this structure of prose I think you will really enjoy this book. This is 100% my own opinion and preferences, so don’t let me steer you away from this wonderful read! While I am on this topic of being in Elio’s head for the majority of the book, I wanna mention his growth throughout the story. He begins the story being very confused and unsure of his feelings for Oliver. He knows that these feelings aren’t what he is “supposed” to feel and even tries to suppress them by trying to hate Oliver. This ultimately fails and he and Oliver grow with each other through their time together. Elio learns more about himself, his identity and it is really beautiful to read. I can only imagine how helpful this book could be to young people in the LGBTQIA+ community who feel alone and unsure of their emotions. Knowing that you aren’t alone can sometimes make all of the difference in someone’s life so I am so grateful that Aciman wrote this story and shared it with the world for anyone who might need it.
This book is very controversial for multiple reasons. The first being that this book was published in 2007 and though it is now 2020, homosexuals and other members of the LGBTQIA+ community are still not fully accepted in our world and society. While this infuriates me, I want to discuss one of the other things that makes this book a bit problematic; the age difference between Elio and Oliver. While I don’t personally have an issue with the age gap, there is a large camp of people that do and as a result, do not approve of this relationship. Because of this, I wanted to give my opinion on the issue. To me, because Elio is such a mature and intelligent individual, I don’t see any issue with their pairing. In addition to this, Oliver is very understanding, kind and also mature during the progression of their relationship.
Another thing that I feel important to mention is the sensuality of this book. There are numerous sex scenes that are incredibly detailed and vivid. This was a bit difficult for me to read because I personally prefer not to read things of that nature. Everyone has their preferences! But, it was not so intense that I had to DNF (Did Not Finish) the book, so I think this means that most people will have no problem reading these scenes. I just wanted to put it out there as a disclaimer in case anyone is a bit sensitive to those things like I am!
Can’t end this review without discussing the beautiful romance that is created in this book! Elio and Oliver’s love is so pure and powerful that all romantics like me will be crying by the end. It is amazing how quickly people can go from being nonexistent in our lives to being the most important thing in them.
I am so glad to have read this book because of the lessons that it taught me. As a person who truly loves others, wants the best and all the happiness in the world for everyone, it is incredibly difficult for me to see the inequality and discrimination other individuals face. Reading about the struggles homosexuals have with their sexuality in terms of how society view them but also how they view themselves because society has instilled negativity towards homosexuality is truly heartbreaking. It made me want to do more as an ally and a person who wants to work toward a better and more equal world for us all. I hope others feel the same when reading this book because it is so important to want to make a difference and to want to help others. This quote really illustrates the fact that homosexuals have to give up so much of themselves by hiding a part of who they are in order to be accepted in our world.
“We rip out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster than we should that we go bankrupt by the age of thirty and have less to offer each time we start with someone new. But to feel nothing so as not to feel anything - what a waste!”
This quote really grabbed me and truly made me ache for all of the people in the world who have to hide any part of who they are in order to be accepted as a human being. I hope that at some point soon every person in our world will feel the same way I do about wanting equality for all people no matter what. I hope you feel this way after reading this book like I did and I would love to discuss the book in detail with anyone who would like to!
Final, Personal Opinion of the Book
Aciman shows he is a beautiful poet throughout the book as he deeply discusses the growing love and passion between these two men. A lot of the emotions are so relatable and pure but he words them in such a way that seems almost as if it is a completely new feeling he created all on his own. I loved this book and I look forward to reading the sequel to the work, "Find Me", at some point in the future.
Rating: 4/5 Stars
I really enjoyed reading this book. I learned important lessons and felt so much powerful emotion throughout but I was a little turned off by the stream of consciousness form after a while. Unfortunately, this did impact my rating of the work. I still think it’s wonderful and recommend it to all! I just got a bit lost at times when Elio was going on a tangent about the sky or sunbathing. To each their own. Definitely recommend this book to all allies, people seeking to learn and become allies and all romance novel lovers.
