Call Me by Your Name

Call Me by Your Name is a novel by André Aciman that explores the passionate romance between two young men, Elio and Oliver, over the course of a summer in Italy in the early 1980s.

Elio, a precocious 17-year-old, is spending the summer at his family's villa in Italy when Oliver, a charismatic 24-year-old graduate student, arrives to work with Elio's father, a professor of archaeology. Despite initial tensions between them, Elio and Oliver are drawn to each other, and their relationship quickly becomes intense and physical.

Over the course of the summer, Elio and Oliver explore their feelings for each other while navigating the complexities of their age difference and the societal expectations of the time. They spend long days together, reading, swimming, and exploring the Italian countryside, and their physical relationship deepens as they grow closer emotionally.

As the summer draws to a close, Elio and Oliver must confront the reality of their relationship and the challenges it will face in the outside world. The novel is a powerful exploration of first love and the intense emotions that come with it, as well as a nuanced portrait of the complexities of sexuality and desire.

Aciman's writing is lyrical and evocative, capturing the sensory experience of the Italian summer and the intense emotions of the two protagonists. Call Me by Your Name has been widely praised for its portrayal of same-sex desire and its exploration of the complexities of identity and intimacy. The book was adapted into a critically acclaimed film in 2017, further cementing its reputation as a modern classic of LGBTQ literature.