This was actually my second time picking up Call Me By Your Name. The previous time I DNFed as I was not prepared for some of the more sexual scenes, but I loved the depictions of the Italian summer, so I decided to pick it up again, this time with more preparation. Once again, the descriptions of their time in B. transported me, and reminded me of some of my own summer trips I've taken with friends that I absolutely loved. I enjoyed experiencing this summer through Elio's eyes, seeing B. with his familiarity and love for the place. I also enjoyed the love for humanity imbued in the prose, with every character being beautiful to Elio in their own way.
Elio and Oliver's relationship was also much more enjoyable for me on a second read. Once I wasn't taken aback by the scenes, I could enjoy their interactions and the back-and-forth, secrecy of their growing relationship. I also enjoyed the reflections they share in the latter chapters of their book, decades later and meeting again. It did confuse me a little, as I knew there was a second book, and this felt neatly packaged so I'm curious as to what the second book could possibly centre on.
My main criticism of the book is Elio's age. He's 17 for the majority of the novel (while Oliver is 24), which makes their relationship a bit weird. Elio was naive, sure, but he didn't feel 17, he felt closer to my own age (20), so him being a child felt like a unnecessary and somewhat uncomfortable choice.
Overall, a book I enjoyed a lot, and I am curious to see where their story still has to go.