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A review by aina
Call Me By Your Name - Screenplay by André Aciman, James Ivory
3.0
3.5 stars
I watched the movie first before I started this book. I loved the adaptation. It was phenomenal, the acting was strong, the cinematography was beautiful. Therefore, I did have some sort of expectations going into the source material of the movie. I was intrigued to know what inspired such amazing movie and truth to be told, I was not disappointed.
So why the 3.5 stars?
I admit that Aciman's writing was just as stunning and alluring as its movie adaptation. So atmospheric, poetic, and at times, intelligent. It successfully presented the rawness of Elio's thoughts and feelings with his beautiful prose. Dripping with intense emotions, I could relate to Elio's insecurites and doubts. However, it took me a long time to get engaged with the story. The sentences were too long it made it diffcult for me to follow and to focus on the story. The introspection was overwhelming that in the end, it just underwhelmed me. Sometimes I was confused if something was merely one of Elio's thoughts or if it really happened. There was no clear line to separate those two.
There were also some scenes that were uncomfortable for me to read. Elio's obsession towards Oliver during the first two parts of the book was unhealthy and concerning. The way he fantasized Oliver was scary sometimes and he even stalked Oliver to know where he went, what he did, and who he talked with.
The side characters weren't that memorable. We knew little of them since everything revolved around Elio. We only saw them through Elio's eyes. But still, I liked Vimini. Even though her character seemed out of place at times, I think she played some sort of a role in Elio and Oliver's relationship. Like in a literary purpose kind of way. Elio's father's infamous speech was indeed strong, but other than that scene, I felt ambivalent about his character.
On another note, I thought Aciman did a really good job in portraying desire and obsession which were one of the main themes of the story. His writing succeeded in capturing a 17-year-old teenager's mind on this matter. There was a thin line between love and lust in this story and I liked the way the author explored this realm.
The fourth part was my favourite. Everything felt so nostalgic, as if whatever happened in the first three parts of the book was now so far away from me. All of it became a distant memory, like a dream, and at that time did I feel close to Elio. Both Elio and Oliver were a grown man who each had their own life to live. But when they met again after a long time, it was full of heartfelt sentiments. Elio's feelings towards Oliver were still a part of him and whatever happened between them two was still vivid in his mind. And I liked that kind of development. The ending felt a bit lacking, though, in my opinion. But it was still powerful.
Overall, it's nice. I understood more about Elio, his thoughts and emotions. I loved seeing parts of the book that didn't make it in the movie cuts. There were characters we didn't have the chance to meet, and since the story's in the form of literature, there were lots of things to pay attention too when it came to analyzing these two main characters' relationship. The dialogues, the references, the items that were described in the book, I feel like they carried a meaning in some way. I'm not good at analyzing things but reading this gave me a whole new experience and I really liked it. I would be glad to recommend both the book and the movie.
I watched the movie first before I started this book. I loved the adaptation. It was phenomenal, the acting was strong, the cinematography was beautiful. Therefore, I did have some sort of expectations going into the source material of the movie. I was intrigued to know what inspired such amazing movie and truth to be told, I was not disappointed.
So why the 3.5 stars?
I admit that Aciman's writing was just as stunning and alluring as its movie adaptation. So atmospheric, poetic, and at times, intelligent. It successfully presented the rawness of Elio's thoughts and feelings with his beautiful prose. Dripping with intense emotions, I could relate to Elio's insecurites and doubts. However, it took me a long time to get engaged with the story. The sentences were too long it made it diffcult for me to follow and to focus on the story. The introspection was overwhelming that in the end, it just underwhelmed me. Sometimes I was confused if something was merely one of Elio's thoughts or if it really happened. There was no clear line to separate those two.
There were also some scenes that were uncomfortable for me to read. Elio's obsession towards Oliver during the first two parts of the book was unhealthy and concerning. The way he fantasized Oliver was scary sometimes and he even stalked Oliver to know where he went, what he did, and who he talked with.
The side characters weren't that memorable. We knew little of them since everything revolved around Elio. We only saw them through Elio's eyes. But still, I liked Vimini. Even though her character seemed out of place at times, I think she played some sort of a role in Elio and Oliver's relationship. Like in a literary purpose kind of way. Elio's father's infamous speech was indeed strong, but other than that scene, I felt ambivalent about his character.
On another note, I thought Aciman did a really good job in portraying desire and obsession which were one of the main themes of the story. His writing succeeded in capturing a 17-year-old teenager's mind on this matter. There was a thin line between love and lust in this story and I liked the way the author explored this realm.
The fourth part was my favourite. Everything felt so nostalgic, as if whatever happened in the first three parts of the book was now so far away from me. All of it became a distant memory, like a dream, and at that time did I feel close to Elio. Both Elio and Oliver were a grown man who each had their own life to live. But when they met again after a long time, it was full of heartfelt sentiments. Elio's feelings towards Oliver were still a part of him and whatever happened between them two was still vivid in his mind. And I liked that kind of development. The ending felt a bit lacking, though, in my opinion. But it was still powerful.
Overall, it's nice. I understood more about Elio, his thoughts and emotions. I loved seeing parts of the book that didn't make it in the movie cuts. There were characters we didn't have the chance to meet, and since the story's in the form of literature, there were lots of things to pay attention too when it came to analyzing these two main characters' relationship. The dialogues, the references, the items that were described in the book, I feel like they carried a meaning in some way. I'm not good at analyzing things but reading this gave me a whole new experience and I really liked it. I would be glad to recommend both the book and the movie.