Book Review: "Call Me By Your Name"

 

    “There is a law somewhere that says that when one person is thoroughly smitten with the other, the other must unavoidably be smitten as well. Amor ch’a null’amato amar perdona. Love, which exempts no one who’s loved from loving, Francesca’s words in the Inferno. Just wait and be hopeful. I was hopeful, though perhaps this was what I had wanted all along. To wait forever.”

    When I started this book, I went in with neutral feelings. I had heard it's praises sung, but thought that they stemmed mostly from the movie adaptation and the feelings people got from watching it. I would have never expected the lush, poetic language, or the fact that I'd be giving it a 5 stars.

    This book is a love letter, chronicling the lives of two men joined together through a shared summer in Italy. It's a coming-of-age story, it's a tale of unrequited love, it's a thousand different things wrapped up in one lyrical, highlight-worthy package.

    While this book ticked off so many boxes for me, I do feel the need to acknowledge that the relationship presented is not without flaws. In fact, this is one of the many reasons I love the dynamic in this book so much. It presents us with characters that we root for, whole-heartedly, despite the fact that they each do things that aren't worth rooting for. It showcases the raw humanity of mistakes and isn't afraid to force you into questioning the nature of Oliver and Elio's relationship. This is especially so when it comes to Elio, our narrator. You see every thought that goes through his head, no matter how questionable. He bears it all to the reader.

    Overall, while I loved the relationship and the exploration of one's sexuality presented in this book, my favorite element is André Aciman's writing style. You'd have to look long and hard to find a book as beautifully written as this one.