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A review by ada_elisabeth
Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
"Think of me someday."
Much like 'A Little Life,' this is a book that I thoroughly loved, but cannot, in good conscience, give 5 stars, no matter how much I would like to. (This took me quiet some time to read because I was away for a few days and hardly read anything-- the lack of chapter breaks made it a slower read than one might think, but it was short and wouldn't have normally took me this long.)
This (beautifully written, deeply emotional, poignant) novel struck me as being incredibly problematic. Oliver and Elio's relationship made me so uncomfortable-- why would a twenty-four-year-old want to date a seventeen-year-old? A seven year age gap is not outrageous if the involved parties are adults-- even if Elio had been twenty and Oliver twenty-seven, it wouldn't have seemed so bad. But I'm sixteen, and the idea of someone my age dating a grown adult rubs me the wrong way. I understand that this book takes place in a different country in a different time period, but it's a modern book, and the central relationship made me a little uncomfortable at times. (view spoiler) Also, casting a VERY young-looking Timothee Chalamet to play Elio in the movie was an interesting choice-- I watched the trailer and he looked younger than I do. Also, Elio's lusting after Oliver was a little creepy to me. Having never lusted after someone, I found the obsessive daydreaming, stalking, and otherwise creepy behavior on Elio's end to be somewhat unnerving. (view spoiler) Oh, and there was one sentence that spanned more than half a page and had twenty-five commas in it, which I found to be a tad bit excessive, but pop off I guess.
(view spoiler)
Despite that significant amount of criticism, I really, really enjoyed this book. It was heartbreaking and tender. The prose was lyrical and beautiful and so, so emotional. This was a great addition to ✨sad book summer✨, I teared up several times while reading. I understand what it's like when someone who you once spent every moment of every day with becomes someone who has faded painfully into the background of your life-- and I think that what makes this book so popular is that everyone does. For what is life if not loving and losing and moving on?
I'm choosing to leave this unrated for now, but I may come back to it in the future with an updated look at the world and change my rating to reflect that. I think I'm also going to watch the movie to see if that changes anything.
“He came. He left. Nothing else had changed. I had not changed. The world hadn't changed. Yet nothing would be the same. All that remains is dreammaking and strange remembrance.”
Much like 'A Little Life,' this is a book that I thoroughly loved, but cannot, in good conscience, give 5 stars, no matter how much I would like to. (This took me quiet some time to read because I was away for a few days and hardly read anything-- the lack of chapter breaks made it a slower read than one might think, but it was short and wouldn't have normally took me this long.)
This (beautifully written, deeply emotional, poignant) novel struck me as being incredibly problematic. Oliver and Elio's relationship made me so uncomfortable-- why would a twenty-four-year-old want to date a seventeen-year-old? A seven year age gap is not outrageous if the involved parties are adults-- even if Elio had been twenty and Oliver twenty-seven, it wouldn't have seemed so bad. But I'm sixteen, and the idea of someone my age dating a grown adult rubs me the wrong way. I understand that this book takes place in a different country in a different time period, but it's a modern book, and the central relationship made me a little uncomfortable at times. (view spoiler) Also, casting a VERY young-looking Timothee Chalamet to play Elio in the movie was an interesting choice-- I watched the trailer and he looked younger than I do. Also, Elio's lusting after Oliver was a little creepy to me. Having never lusted after someone, I found the obsessive daydreaming, stalking, and otherwise creepy behavior on Elio's end to be somewhat unnerving. (view spoiler) Oh, and there was one sentence that spanned more than half a page and had twenty-five commas in it, which I found to be a tad bit excessive, but pop off I guess.
(view spoiler)
Despite that significant amount of criticism, I really, really enjoyed this book. It was heartbreaking and tender. The prose was lyrical and beautiful and so, so emotional. This was a great addition to ✨sad book summer✨, I teared up several times while reading. I understand what it's like when someone who you once spent every moment of every day with becomes someone who has faded painfully into the background of your life-- and I think that what makes this book so popular is that everyone does. For what is life if not loving and losing and moving on?
I'm choosing to leave this unrated for now, but I may come back to it in the future with an updated look at the world and change my rating to reflect that. I think I'm also going to watch the movie to see if that changes anything.
“He came. He left. Nothing else had changed. I had not changed. The world hadn't changed. Yet nothing would be the same. All that remains is dreammaking and strange remembrance.”
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Vomit