I honestly thought I’d be throwing five stars at this book, but sadly it ended up being a very lukewarm experience for me. Lauren @aseriesofunreadbooks said it perfectly - the author is too present in the writing. I can sense him there, shoehorning in as many weird metaphors, references to philosophers and classic authors, and flowery turns of phrase when the story itself would have been powerful enough on its own. As a result, I found myself losing interest as I waded my way through the prose to find the story.
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But when you do manage to find it, it does pay off. I liked the way Aciman captures Elio’s infatuation with Oliver, and the way their relationship blossomed (although good god, man, what did peaches ever do to you?). I also enjoyed last part, and Elio’s father’s speech especially was beautiful! And then I got put off again by weird poop scenes, desecrated peaches, and Elio’s ridiculously selfish treatment of Marzia.
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But the characters who weren’t Elio or Oliver felt 2D or stereotypical: Chiara the Italian vixen, Mafalda the Neapolitan help, Vimini the little girl who lived next door who had leukaemia - don’t actually get me started on that because she had great potential and was just carted out whenever a wise young girl was needed. Oh and that poet who went off an eight page tangent about the time he visited Thailand - who cares? Not me.
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Overall, there were some lovely lovely sentiments expressed among all the fluff, and Elio and Olivet did have some beautiful moments - plus, the setting really is perfect for a summer read!