Call Me By Your Name tells the story of Oliver and Elio, who tumble into a surprising love affair during a charmed summer in the Italian country side. Elio, a hyper-intellectual 17-year-old, spends the first fifty pages of the novel describing his longing for Oliver, the 24-year-old research assistant who is the family's annual summer house guest. This longing so thoroughly pervaded part I of the book that I nearly quit reading: as realistic as it is for a teenager, 50 pages of it was tough to take, especially in Elio's long, tangled sentences. A dramatic confrontation at the beginning of part II thankfully got the plot moving, but I continued only because of a reluctant desire to find out how the boys' relationship would progress. At this point, the plot still felt like an elaborate rendition of "he loves me, he loves me not" punctuated by impenetrable references to obscure literary and historical figures. These allusions, coupled with Elio's overly philosophical thoughts, often seemed like the author's excuse to scream "look how smart and well-educated I am!" However, 75 or 100 pages from the end, a miracle happened: the book redeemed itself so completely that recalling my criticisms part I and II was an almost impossible task. Saying very much would spoil the book's honest, deeply human ending, so I will only reveal that it was worth waiting for. I dog-eared several passages so I could return and read them later. I can't offer a definitive recommendation for this novel; you'll have to decide for yourself whether 150 pages of mediocrity is worth a deeply rewarding ending. Here is one of my favorite passages to help you choose:

"We'll speak about two young men who found much happiness for a few weeks and lived the remainder of their lives dipping cotton swabs into that bowl of happiness, fearing they'd use it up without daring to drink more than a thimbleful on ritual anniversaries...But what never was still beckons...They can never undo it, never unwrite it, never unlive it, or relive it -- it's just stuck there like a vision of fireflies on a summer field toward evening..." ( )

André Aciman's novel is an exquisite work of fiction. While the book is about a seventeen year old boy (Elio), it is far from a young adult novel. That doesn't mean that young adults shouldn't read it, because they should (in fact everyone should). It's a beautiful book, mixing the angst of Elio with the beauty of Italy as well as the boy Elio falls in love with.

We follow Elio's life one summer, living with his family and their annual summer guest. This year it's a young (24, I believe) American named Oliver. Everyone likes Oliver, but Elio finds that his feelings run much deeper. Eventually the boys figure out their feelings and what we're given is a treat. Aciman captures what it means to be young, in love and running out of time. But instead of ending the novel with Oliver's return to American, Aciman gives us a glimpse of Elio's future. It's a gamble and it pays off, because the satisfaction (of a sort) that you feel at th end of the novel is worth all the, well, things that happen before.

The plot is strong, but what makes this novel so good is the writing. Aciman pulls you into the story with his writing and then keeps you there, your hopes pinned to Oliver just as Elio. the book is beautiful, heartbreakingly so and one of the best I've read this year, mostly because of the way Aciman creates and cultivates this ache inside you, the one Elio has for Oliver, as well as one that you have for Elio himself. ( )

Teenage boys--Fiction.

Diesem Buch kann ich einfach nur fünf Sterne geben, und sei es auch nur deshalb, weil es mich so beschäftigt, ich mich daran reibe und es mich auch sonst intensiv grübeln lässt. Der Roman ist zeitlos, und diese Stärke ist gleichzeitig die Schwäche der wundervollen Prosa. Während des Lesens hatte ich oftmals den Eindruck, dass sich der Roman im Italien des Interbellum abspielt, als es noch keine Schwule gab, und Menschen höchstens homoerotische Gefühle in der Tradition Thomas Mann's hatten.
Oliver und Elio denken viel, sind intellektuell und künstlerisch begabt. Dass da eine Verliebtheit keine spontane Reaktion hervorruft, darf nicht überraschen. Die beiden drehen sich im Kreis und umeinander herum, sodass sämtliche intimen Kontakte mehr Traum denn Wirklichkeit zu sein scheinen, was sich auch nicht ändert, nachdem diese Annäherung doch gelungen ist. Alles bleibt Traumspiel und wird somit niemals Realität. Dabei geht es nicht so sehr um Homosexualität, vielleicht nicht einmal um Liebe, sondern eher um eine universelle erotische Ambivalenz.
Das ist am Schluss auch das Bedauerliche: Die Handlung scheint nicht mehr als Phantasie, Traumgebilde und Glücksempfinden gewesen zu sein, die dem wirklichen Leben nicht standhalten würde. Schade, eigentlich. Denn sind wir einfach bestimmt zu leiden?

Of course, this had to be a 5-star-novel. What a wonderful prose, what beautiful descriptions. Oddly, it kept evoking the impression that the action takes place in the Italy of the 1940's. The characters seemed estranged from the real world. Their loves and lifes were kind of transcended. Neither Oliver nor Elio could be called gay, perhaps their relationship or their link was more of a coincidental combination due to the Santa-Clement-syndrom that mixes male and female up. Though in real life men chose to pick a wife while their phantasies always bring them back to their male partners.
Well, reading the beautiful sentences of Aciman, I believe it right away, but living in real life, I am happy that I have a different choice. ( )

A story of longing, written in prose of rare beauty. Being in love and all possible sorts of emotions that go with it, and o so recognizable. A bittersweet ending, where you despairingly ask yourself why people who love each other that much, can let go of each other all the same. But that's how things turn out sometimes, and Aciman shows us that a time of happiness, however short it may be, can prove inviolable.
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Een verhaal van verlangen, geschreven in zeldzaam mooi proza. Verliefdheid en alle mogelijke emoties die daarbij horen, en o zo herkenbaar. Een bitterzoet einde, waarbij je je vertwijfeld afvraagt waarom mensen die zo van elkaar houden elkaar toch kunnen laten gaan. Maar dat is nu eenmaal zoals het soms gaat, en Aciman laat zien dat een periode van geluk, hoe kort ook, onschendbaar kan blijken. ( )