Reviews with content warning for Death - Call Me by Your Name

This book was... something else that I wasn't quite expecting. I like to go into books knowing as little as possible, the only thing I knew about this one was that there was a movie adaptation with Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer. Boy oh boy.

This entire story felt like a breeze on a hot summer night or like the waves crashing on a rocky beach. It felt like a hug and a slap. It swallowed me whole and when I finished it it was like part of me was left behind, or a part of me had been lifted out of me.

The love that is described in this novel is uncontrollable, it's beautiful and it's somewhat tragic. It's complicated and has many twists and turns, the character (Elio) is conflicted yet so completly sure. Following his train of thoughts, his attemps at understanding his universe while also having the intuition that he knows everything in advance, that the surprises are only half surprising. That's how I felt anyway... he had a way of living, a way of loving that felt empowering and magical.

In the end, what will live with me from this novel is the feeling that came with this book, the heart full and, maybe, just a little bit hurt..

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grayisasleep's review against another edition

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emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.25

i was around 14-15 when i first read this book and i wanted to reread it now, when i’m 18 to see how my opinion has changed. i plan to do this again in my 20s. when i first read it i rated it a 5/5 easily. i thought it was the most beautiful, emotional, raw piece of writing on intimacy ever written. but i was 15.

looking back on this story now i have many mixed feelings. my love for this book was so strong that it has deepened how i feel about it now. i want to resent this book— and i do, i just wish i did more. this is not a love story. it is a story of grooming, and it is difficult to see that because we are in elio’s mind. i was so deeply infatuated with this book at 15, and while rereading it i felt those feelings come back. the giddiness, the “beauty” of this book— of this “relationship.” reading this at 15 has my warped perception on it just as elio’s perception of oliver was warped. i hope by my next reread in my 20s i’m over it.

i’m not going to write a whole essay on this book because hundreds of people already have but there’s just so many problems with it. the author adds in incredibly gross scenes because he thinks he can just excuse it as “complete and total intimacy.” like no dude it’s just straight up gross.

the writing is what really saved this for me the second time around though. it really is the most beautifully written book i’ve read in my life (thus far that is.) i need so many quotes from this book engraved into me.

but yeah, in conclusion; pretty writing but oliver is a disgusting, manipulative person and i wish more people saw this book for what it really was.

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onion's review against another edition

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mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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emmaoline's review against another edition

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challenging dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

I am left with one question after reading this book and that is how was this ever published?
Not just in terms of content but the writing seems like nonsensical drivel only found in a first draft. At times it felt like Aciman had recently purchased his first thesaurus when writing this book, but had yet to learn anything about punctuation. Whilst what is supposed to pass for plot feels more like horror than romance.

There are no likeable characters in this book. There are no people in this book, only aliens masquerading as people. Although I did enjoy the character Ada whose only purpose was to say "I am Ada," in a crowded room. If this was spoken to the main characters or not, or in the background is not really clear, which made it funnier.

But in the end, I am left reeling from the racist colonial ideology that came out of nowhere and had way too much time spent on it as if it were Shakespeare. This disgusting language was so disturbing I forgot the earlier passage where a peach was described as "bruises and damaged, like a rape victim,"[sic]

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