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A review by bookshelfkeeps
Harvard Square by André Aciman
3.0
How we met:I originally picked this book up for its beautiful cover only to discover it was written by the same author who wrote Call Me By Your Name, which I loved. I thought the jacket sounded interesting - Egyptian born man come to Cambridge to be a graduate student at Harvard while also trying to find his way while living in constant tension - i.e. wanting to feel like an American and not an outsider in Cambridge, while also hating America and missing the Mediterranean, Paris.. his people. In one sentence the book goes back and forth with this constant tension. Just when you think he's figured it out and found contentment, something else shifts.
My thoughts & Spot on Shelf: In short, I am glad I read it. There are definitely some really well written parts where Aciman shines particular when characters are going through epiphanies. Unfortunately, this is not a book I can see myself re-reading or added to my personal shelf at home. Like CMBYN, much of the pages are spent in the protagonist's head; however, the effect on me was not the same... perhaps I am also biased to Timothee Chalamet.. I found it a bit dull and slow moving, so it was hard to keep my attention. Additionally, the resolution at the end feels profound, yet very subtle where I find myself questioning if I understand what happened (yikes). Again, similar to CMBYN, there is no "Hollywood" perfect ending, and overall I appreciate that. I enjoyed reading from a perspective different from my own culturally, which definitely made me reflect on my intellectual privilege more closely.
My thoughts & Spot on Shelf: In short, I am glad I read it. There are definitely some really well written parts where Aciman shines particular when characters are going through epiphanies. Unfortunately, this is not a book I can see myself re-reading or added to my personal shelf at home. Like CMBYN, much of the pages are spent in the protagonist's head; however, the effect on me was not the same... perhaps I am also biased to Timothee Chalamet.. I found it a bit dull and slow moving, so it was hard to keep my attention. Additionally, the resolution at the end feels profound, yet very subtle where I find myself questioning if I understand what happened (yikes). Again, similar to CMBYN, there is no "Hollywood" perfect ending, and overall I appreciate that. I enjoyed reading from a perspective different from my own culturally, which definitely made me reflect on my intellectual privilege more closely.