Call Me by Your Name by André Aciman

‘Call Me by Your Name’ is about a romance that grows between a seventeen year-old boy and an older man that his father highered as a research assistant in 1980s Italy.

Let me paint a picture for you.

It was a cold winter day. The wind was blowing and the snow was whipping against my window. I was getting settled in with a warm blanket, about to watch a movie, when suddenly the power went out. While the sounds of my neighbours generators revved up I sat in despair, not having one of my own, and knew it was going to be a long day. I lit the stove, made some tea, put on all of my warm clothes, and settled in on the couch. Reading a book seemed like the best remedy to my predicament. As my fingers got colder, I put on gloves. As the day grew darker, I lit some candles. When the candles weren’t enough, I got my flashlight. I devoured the book. By the end of the freezing day I had four pages left. I decided to save them for the next day. Not only did I need to sleep, but I also needed an emotional break. I knew the story, having already seen the film, but I had no idea how deeply the text would affect me. It literally took me weeks to not be consumed by Aciman’s story. I rewatched the film, I listened to the soundtrack, I talked about it to my friends whenever I had the chance. I flipped back to the conversation Elio had with his father several times. Much like Elio, I became obsessed. I was restless. I felt angst. Aciman did a beautiful job of writing about two people falling in love and how important it is to feel, not to push away those good feelings because something is over.

I strongly recommend that you read this book if you like reading stories about coming of age, first love, and LGBTQ characters.

Meghan McCabe

Youth Services Librarian

Available on Libby in eBook and audio book format.