Review: Call Me By Your Name
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3 stars. This book lands squarely in the middle for me. Andre Aciman is talented, no doubt about that. He can paint a pretty picture, he refreshingly avoids cliches, he makes things feel inevitable and unexpected at the same time. He captures moments in time with great care and thoughtful word choice. His phrasing is lyrical, lush, at times very dreamy and atmospheric. Yes, the p word (pretentious) crossed my mind, but I admit that I was caught up in the story and the first world problems and this beautiful, painful romance.
Call Me By Your Name, for those who somehow don't know at this point, is about a 17-year-old boy named Elio who falls deeply in lust with a 24-year-old summer guest in Italy. Oliver and Elio circle and circle and circle before crashing together in incredibly intimate ways. I don't think it's a spoiler, really, to convey that you shouldn't expect a happily-ever-after. Oliver and Elio were always meant to part ways and so they spend their time accordingly. As the novel draws to a close, Aciman revisits them 20 years later and - as always, through Elio's perspective - examines their romance through time and place and memory and fear and shame and hope.
There are many who say they relate to Elio and his obsession. I would count myself among them. Aciman captures perfectly what it means to desire another - to long for them, fantasize about them, take note of their every move and savor every moment in their presence. There are many who say this is unhealthy, or unheard of. What perhaps upsets me is that Elio's obsession was reciprocated in a way that was both hopeful and tragically sad. He experienced mutual infatuation, and lost it. For me, it is both a fantasy and a nightmare - I want it to be true, but I don't want to believe it, and if I believe it for a second, the sadness is unbearable.
It's a testament to Aciman's writing, of course, and his ability to craft an emotional story. But honestly, I didn't find myself racing to pick this up again. I understand that the prose was polarizing for most - I found things to like and hate about it - but ultimately it was a bit much for me. And while I'm sure this was partly the intention - partly the point - I felt like I was drowning, occasionally, in hormones. Been there, done that. Of course I rooted for Elio and Oliver and of course I don't mind an unhappy ending, but something about this ... perhaps my REACTION to it ... felt like a 3-star reaction.
I'm afraid this review doesn't make much sense, and won't serve as a helpful resource for potential readers. But it's what I feel, at this time. I think you have to be in the right mood for Call Me By Your Name - for something slow and ethereal and weepy. I admire and appreciate its beauty but I don't feel fulfilled. I do, however, want to go to Italy immediately.