I'm honestly still processing what this story did to me. In a rare move, I actually saw the movie first. Even rarer, I am thankful that I made this choice. Watching the story lived out before I got to delve into Elio's mind was a beautiful experience I fear I may never again have from a book/movie duo. Aciman's prose was as beautiful as the movie scenery.

Me? Captured by a romance? Unheard of before Call Me By Your Name considering I actively avoid romance novels, but that's exactly what happened here. The characters and setting and love and anxiety and excitement and desire and heartbreak all became my own. As much the protagonist of a coming of age novel as a romance, Elio and his stream of obsessive thoughts dug up my insecurities and threw them back in my face. The longing, tensio0n, and confusion that fills 17 year old Elio resonated with me in a way I did not know a romance novel could. Watching Oliver and Elio become one, desiring everything about each other, building a world that was only safe when it was them alone was gut wrenching. I've watched the movie 4 times and read the book in a matter of hours. The absolute agony contained within this story turned me inside out, leaving me broken and refreshed each time I leave its confines. Obviously I longed for a different ending. But I think the beauty of this story partially comes from the devastating punch of Oliver and Elio leaving this summer to lead parallel lives.

There's so much about this book that I love. I love that Oliver kept that post card all those years. I love that they found the stars and will have them forever. It's going to take me a long time to shake this story. It is a beautiful escape into an intense and desperate love. It's not groundbreaking or earth shattering, it's just human. An elegy to desire, this novel really ripped me up. I honestly almost cried writing this review.