If it was music it would be Schubert
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Andre Aciman combines a poignant story with exquisite detail - an unstoppable read. In this his first novel the truth of the emotions Aciman so skillfully portrays must come from real experience. 'You had a beautiful friendship. Maybe more than a friendship. And I envy you.' Elio's father tells him after Oliver has left.
The longing is so real, the love so intense, the sex beautiful and the sense of lifelong adoration almost too painful to recall.
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Remarkable
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If you have ever spent a few weeks in Italy during the summertime you will want to read "Call Me by Your Name." Anyone who has been there knows that Italy's little towns are bewitching in July and August and that what takes place in the few days or weeks spent there is forever. Add to this a story of true love (complete with that gnawing "what if..." question), told in the perfection of Aciman's style, and what you have is a small masterpiece. I suggest listening to some good Italian music while reading the novel; opera is fine, or you might want to consider the "struggenti" songs of Fabrizio De André. Let Aciman take you to this little town in Italy and tell you this story of summer passion. A word of advice: give yourself some time because once you start reading you won't be able to stop.
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"If not later, when?"
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Set in a small town in Italy, this moving novel captures a meaningful summer in the life of Elio, a 17 year old male. Elio's homelife is relaxed; his intelligent, apparently liberal, parents have a constant flow of relatives and interesting visitors breezing in and out of their house for meals and animated conversation. The downside, as far as Elio is concerned, is that no one seeks his opinion - he is "the youngest at the table and the least likely to be listened to". Each summer, Elio's father invites a young academic to stay at their summer home on the Italian Riviera. Fearing the typical "dull house guest", Elio is immediately captivated when the confident, handsome, 24 year old Oliver strolls into his home, and his life. For the first few weeks of Oliver's stay, Elio fantasises about Oliver, and becomes involved with mind games and nuances. But are they all in his imagination, or is Oliver also involved in the game?
The novel is tautly crafted and so evocative of the environment that the reader can vividly sense the undercurrent of tense sideways glances against the backdrop of hazy heat and salt-speckled sea breeze. Undoubtedly some issues remain unresolved, such as the peculiar absence of jealousy felt by Elio ("It never bothered me to think of him [sleeping with a girl]"), or any explanation as to why Elio feels that a relationship with Oliver would be in some sense 'wrong'. Further, Elio's 'voice' often sounds younger than his stated 17 years, and the novel might have held more powerful authenticity if Elio had been, for example, 13 or 14 years old. Nevertheless, under this author's expert craftsmanship, such queries are largely insignificant and all form part of the three-dimensional nature of the characters.
Overall, 'Call Me By Your Name' is a enthralling novel of adolescent insecurity, lust, obsession and intensely passionate emotions ("to be who I am because of you"). André Aciman writes with easy fluidity, creating beguiling characters, page-turning suspense, intense eroticism and nostalgic poignancy. Highly recommended.
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