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A review by roguemouse
Call Me By Your Name - Screenplay by James Ivory, André Aciman
5.0
I could've finished the book months ago, but considering the reader is explicitly warned how the love story between Elio and Oliver ends, I was hesitant. When I knew I had about 20% of the book left to read, I stopped and put it down. I didn't want it to end. And I reckon that's the best recommendation I could give it.
Aciman writes in an incredibly evocative (if sometimes wordy) way, beautifully painting the Italian countryside, a coming-of-age story, and a romance between two (in my mind) equally confused young men. Oliver may be older, but that doesn't necessarily mean he knows what he's doing. Elio, on the other hand, though younger and more hesitant, seems much braver than the object of his affection - even if we see that bravery mostly in his own mind, in the way he thinks and feels.
I loved the stream-of-consciousness style of Elio's thoughts, even if sometimes it was hard to tell who he was talking about in the moment. Then again, considering the title of the book, and how the characters seemed to sometimes melt into each other, I think it's a very apt stylistic choice (even if it was semiconscious).
The last part of the book left me heartbroken, but at the same time, weirdly hopeful. I'm not sure what Elio - or Aciman - was trying to say about the character's relationship (not to mention its future or the impact it had on Oliver and Elio), but it seems to suggest some people will always be in our life, even if only because they changed it so drastically. It may be bittersweet, but it's also poignant. I find that oddly comforting.
I read the book in preparation for the movie, not knowing what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised and hope to come back to "Call Me By Your Name" many times in the upcoming years.
Aciman writes in an incredibly evocative (if sometimes wordy) way, beautifully painting the Italian countryside, a coming-of-age story, and a romance between two (in my mind) equally confused young men. Oliver may be older, but that doesn't necessarily mean he knows what he's doing. Elio, on the other hand, though younger and more hesitant, seems much braver than the object of his affection - even if we see that bravery mostly in his own mind, in the way he thinks and feels.
I loved the stream-of-consciousness style of Elio's thoughts, even if sometimes it was hard to tell who he was talking about in the moment. Then again, considering the title of the book, and how the characters seemed to sometimes melt into each other, I think it's a very apt stylistic choice (even if it was semiconscious).
The last part of the book left me heartbroken, but at the same time, weirdly hopeful. I'm not sure what Elio - or Aciman - was trying to say about the character's relationship (not to mention its future or the impact it had on Oliver and Elio), but it seems to suggest some people will always be in our life, even if only because they changed it so drastically. It may be bittersweet, but it's also poignant. I find that oddly comforting.
I read the book in preparation for the movie, not knowing what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised and hope to come back to "Call Me By Your Name" many times in the upcoming years.