Finished: Call Me By Your Name (Aciman) After seeing the movie twice, I'm so glad I read this book which is basically a stream of conscious telling of how Elio was feeling from the first moment he met Oliver, to the last moment he spent with him. It was so good to read how he was feeling, because in the movie it was often hard to tell what was motivating his turmoil, or hesitation, or frustration, or happiness. And, in Elio telling this story, we were also able to figure out a bit what Oliver was feeling as well. The story is just so very touching. Oliver, a 24 year old graduate student, travels to Italy to spend six weeks as an assistant to a professor, who in turn will read his dissertation to give notes on it before it becomes a book. The professor and his wife have a 17 year old son, Elio. Elio is extremely intelligent and musically gifted. Oliver and Elio hit it off pretty instantly in terms of sharing intellectual and artistic conversations. However, they are both awkward with what from the very get go seems to be an underlying physical attraction. Oliver is the tall, good looking, seemingly confident American who just breezes into Elio's life. They spend quite a bit of time together and apart, before finally giving into a kiss that Oliver insists should not happen again. He knows that he shouldn't go down that road, yet he's truly fallen for Elio. With only a couple of weeks of the stay left, Oliver and Elio finally admit how they feel about each other and consummate their relationship with Elio's first same sex sexual experience. Elio has had sex with a few of his town girl friends before, so he's so confused about what he's feeling and after it happens, also feels extreme shame for desiring what he did with Oliver. While they are laying in bed, though, Oliver whispers to Elio "call me by your name and I'll call you by mine". It is just so heartfelt and intimate and indicates how strongly they feel for each other when they are willing to essentially become one with each other down to their very names. When it comes down to Oliver's last few days, he must travel to Rome to meet with his publisher and fly from there back to America. Elio's parents, who I strongly suspect have caught onto the relationship by now, suggest that Elio go with Oliver to Rome so they can have those days together. They adore Oliver, as everyone does, and want things to work out for him as well as their own son. So, Elio and Oliver go to Rome and have the best three days of their lives...days neither ever forgets, before Oliver goes back home with promises to stay in touch and come back to the villa for visits. Elio, though, know that this will likely not happen. He travels back home and is so sad. :-( I must say that Elio has some super cool and wonderful parents! His dad sits him down and first makes sure he's not overstepping his bounds, but then proceeds to tell Elio that he suspects that Elio and Oliver had become much more than friends. He says that while most fathers would send their sons off somewhere to get them "fixed" of this behavior (this is the 1980's by the way)...that he would rather see his son feel everything he should be feeling, and be himself, and at the same time, feel the pain of this loss of his love. Better to feel it now than squash it away and then have nothing to give to the next relationship he may have. It's hard to describe the conversation, but his dad was truly just the best father! So, in the movie, six months go by and it's Christmas time and Oliver calls from America. They all get on the phone to talk to him and then Elio's parents say their goodbyes to let him talk with Oliver. Oliver says he hasn't forgotten a single moment, and Elio hasn't either. However, Oliver also tells Elio that he's engaged to be married to a girl he's dated on and off for two years. Elio takes it ok, and tells Oliver he's pretty sure his parents know about them and were fine with it. Oliver says, I wish my father would be so understanding...that he'd ship him off somewhere if he knew. The movie ends with Elio staring into the fire and crying. The book continues on! In the book, Oliver actually travels to Italy for Christmas, where they are all thrilled to see him. So, it is in person that he tells Elio he is engaged. They part ways a few days later and of course Elio is heartbroken, but so is Oliver. Nine years later, after Elio has attended college in the U.S., he decides to go and see Oliver at the college where he is lecturing. Oliver is still married and has two young sons. He's thrilled to see Elio and wants him to come and meet his family, but Elio doesn't think he could handle it. Oliver and Elio go for drinks and talk, and it's clear that neither of them has forgotten what they meant to each other, but this is just the way things must be. They again part ways. Then, Oliver comes back to the villa 20 years after he was first there. Elio's father has died and his mother isn't doing well. Oliver is still married with older boys now, lol. They decide to go and visit all their old haunts as Elio thinks to himself "please, call me by your name so I can call you by mine." sigh. It was a good book, but the story itself is very heartbreaking. These two have a real and true love, but they weren't able to spend their lives together.