4-Star Review: Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman

[theharbourreader]

 “Is it better to speak or die?”

Returning to Call Me By Your Name felt like stepping back into a dream - golden-hued, intimate, and still quietly aching. Set in the sun-washed days of 1980s Italy, this story of first love between Elio and Oliver unfolds slowly, like fruit ripening on a windowsill: lush, uncertain, tender, and intense.

On re-reading, I was struck even more by the introspection - the depth of Elio’s inner world, his obsessional thinking, the constant circling of desire and self-consciousness. It’s not always comfortable, but it is beautifully done. Aciman captures the intensity of a youthful crush turned all-consuming romance with a kind of breathless clarity, the language both intellectual and sensuous.

There were moments I found overwrought, especially in Elio’s emotional spirals but perhaps that’s part of the point. Love at that age is everything, and Aciman never lets you forget it. There’s also an undeniable melancholy threaded through the book: the what-ifs, the missed chances, the inevitability of loss. And yet it lingers - in the citrus trees, the classical music, the quiet afternoons - with such grace.

A rich, sun-drenched story about the ways people imprint on each other. And how some summers, and some people, live on long after the heat fades.

Favourite quote:
"We had the stars, you and I. And this is given once only."

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4 stars)
A lyrical, intimate novel about first love, memory, and longing — even more powerful the second time.

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