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lillyturmel's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
in a way, this book is a very well written diary. this is very different than the YA romance i usually read, but it was beautiful and extremely well written
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
there is no rape or sexual assault that happens in the book, but there are slight descriptions when talking about sex and some references that could make victims uncomfortable.k_aro's review against another edition
challenging
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? No
I read Call Me By Your Name over the spring break, and it took me about a week to slog through. Every few sentences I wanted to switch over to a food YouTube video just to get a break from it: the sentences are unnecessarily flowery, Elio does not sound like a 17 year old, and there is deeply concerning content (aside from the adult/minor relationship) that makes me feel as though CMBYN is really the Fifty Shades of Grey of queer content.
(Discussion of sexual content ahead, folks, there's only so much I can keep PG-13 when comparing a literal erotica and a quite sex-involved book.)
Which is to say, the author of FSoG clearly had no idea what a healthy BDSM relationship looks like, or even what BDSM should be like, and it was written for the "vanilla" sex gaze (and by that, I mean that people unaware of what sex beyond like, light dirty talk). Either it was titillating because it was a new experience, or it was grotesque in almost how divorced from what 'normal' sex looks like to this vanilla sex gaze. In a similar vein, CMBYN is written for the heteronormative gaze: its relationship is intense, unhealthy if you know what to look for (and even if you don't), and horny to all hell. It's for people who want to see what they want to see in a mlm relationship (constant horniness, unabashed obsession wth each other) OR, it's deeply grotesque and fulfills what one already believes about mlm relationships.
But, yet another similarity, FSoG and CMBYN never go deep enough to belong in a space of deep intensity that can sometimes be desired. Elio is obsessive, sure, and he has a deeply warped sense of what a healthy relationship is, but it's never Killing Stalking levels of intensity. If André Aciman wanted to write a novel about the deeply problematic nature of obsessive love, he could've gone harder... as it stands, I just have to assume this is what he thinks queer/MLM love is.
Also, the infamous peach scene, which is even worse in the novel when (sexual violence)Elio compares the peach to a rape victim. No, I'm not kidding.
However... it did bring me an inordinate amount of joy to slowly reveal the real shitshow that Call Me By Your Name is to my friends, and simultaneously horrify them. So, 5/5 for that experience.
(Discussion of sexual content ahead, folks, there's only so much I can keep PG-13 when comparing a literal erotica and a quite sex-involved book.)
But, yet another similarity, FSoG and CMBYN never go deep enough to belong in a space of deep intensity that can sometimes be desired. Elio is obsessive, sure, and he has a deeply warped sense of what a healthy relationship is, but it's never Killing Stalking levels of intensity. If André Aciman wanted to write a novel about the deeply problematic nature of obsessive love, he could've gone harder... as it stands, I just have to assume this is what he thinks queer/MLM love is.
Also, the infamous peach scene, which is even worse in the novel when (sexual violence)
However... it did bring me an inordinate amount of joy to slowly reveal the real shitshow that Call Me By Your Name is to my friends, and simultaneously horrify them. So, 5/5 for that experience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
Aside from the tags listed, there is also a good amount of deeply concerning thoughts Elio has towards Oliver, a lot of them somewhat violent or obsessive/stalker-ish in nature. Oliver's behaviour towards Elio can also feel somewhat bordering on abusive, but I do not believe it was intentional. Also (sexual violence)
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