Call Me by your Name by André Aciman is a novel that follows Elio, a seventeen-year-old boy who lives with his parents in Italy during 1983. Elio narrates the story which details his experience during the summer when he meets Oliver. Oliver is a doctoral student staying with Elio’s parents and assisting Elio’s father with academic writing and paperwork. Elio develops feelings for Oliver but all Elio’s attempts to impress Oliver don’t lead to anything. Elio and Oliver grow closer after Elio discovers Oliver is Jewish because he sees it as something they have in common and can bond over. Eventually, Elio confesses to Oliver and the two begin a relationship. Call Me by your Name focuses on this relationship and what comes after it.
I liked many aspects of Call Me by Your Name. One aspect I enjoyed was how the author described the setting and environment where the story takes place. The author’s descriptions made the setting very easy to visualize and imagine which I think definitely made me enjoy this novel more. I also enjoyed most aspects of the relationship between Elio and Oliver, for example, I thought they had very believable interactions and had interesting chemistry. However, I found myself being somewhat uncomfortable with some parts of their relationship due to their age difference, Elio is seventeen and Oliver is twenty-three, which is an age difference that definitely can be seen as inappropriate. Other than this I enjoyed almost all of Call Me by Your Name and would recommend it to those looking for a novel featuring LGBTQIA+ romance if they could tolerate the age difference.
Written by A. Wallace
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