Not the first read from P. Djèlí Clark, and I loved it just like I did with everything else I tried. Impressive world-building and narrative flavors, Not the first read from P. Djèlí Clark, and I loved it just like I did with everything else I tried. Impressive world-building and narrative flavors, almost reads like it follows the tempos and logic of classic fairytales, but with modern panache. ...more
I really wanted to like this book more, but it wasn't the case. First I saw the movie at a friend's place and decided that maybe the book is better andI really wanted to like this book more, but it wasn't the case. First I saw the movie at a friend's place and decided that maybe the book is better and the movie was modified a lot just for hooking audiences in with the shock value. But after reading the book I concluded that the movie did not go too far off the original script.
My problem with this story is this: everyone keeps focusing on the homoerotic relationship and the intimate details described vividly when criticizing or praising the book, but no one seems to address the grooming aspect which I find crucial to the story. I found the older man to be quite the creep in this story, and the 'understanding parents' irresponsible for allowing a minor to be seduced by an adult. The setting and the descriptions are of course beautiful and I guess that all contributes to a romantic atmosphere, but that is beside the point.
At its core, Call Me by Your Name is a story of abuse, in which everyone around seems to be complicit. Perhaps the author meant it like that and expected it to be rightly seen as an abuse story, but I am very disappointed in the overall reading community that just sees it as a romantic love story.
I also did not like the peach scene but not for its alleged shocking nature or whatever. I am disgusted not by its intimacy, but by the description of the peach as remaining used and torn on the nightstand, "loyal as a rape victim". I find the comparison extremely insensitive and upsetting.
That being said, the prose is masterfully put together and the descriptions are beautiful. The Italy described here, and its Indian summer quality, are so vivid that you can almost see its light in the air, and reminded me of my own travels to the country. ...more
I went through this one like in a dream: it reads like a reverie, even if you're tired, the flow of the story carries things further and further, likeI went through this one like in a dream: it reads like a reverie, even if you're tired, the flow of the story carries things further and further, like a tide. Even if side-streams are formed once in a while, the narrative is easy to follow and doesn't jump from one idea to another unexpectedly or too often.
I saw that some readers were displeased with the fact that this focuses too much on the main character's past. She is now living in the U.S. but allegedly she describes her current situation and coping mechanisms too little, only to dwell on her past and her childhood in a Bedouin family. I wasn't bothered by this at all - if nostalgia is not a driving force for people (and especially immigrants) then what is?
The portrait of the main character as it emerges is not one of a person you can easily like. It is indeed a person you can easily sympathize with, but so lackluster that it's hard to find reasons to get very invested in her arc. Towards the end of the book, a new female character is introduced and for a while, I kept wondering whether we're switching to another main, although this one was too glamorous to feel real (so, in a way, at the opposite end of a spectrum). Then it all comes together in a beautiful ending, with just a little touch of magical realism.
I won't say more as to not spoil the end of the book, but it definitely made me like it more....more
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