2023~42. Call Me By Your Name

Andre Aciman. 2007.

This book glorifies the sexual abuse and dysfunctional, power-imbalanced relationship between a high school boy and a 24 year old college grad students, a mentee of the high schooler's father, who lives with him and his parents for a summer.  The relationship continues beyond that in unhealthy and exploitative ways that the younger experiences as love and acceptance, but is in fact controlling and creepy.  Just one example is the book title, which represents the idea that if you call a lover by your own name, this reflects them as an extension of own self.  The relationship is kept secret and starts with classic grooming.  While the book takes place in Italy in the 1980's, where the age of legal consent is 14, I nevertheless found this book problematic and disturbing, particularly because so many people consider it a romance novel, in much the same way I read Lolita. Additionally problematic is that the author publicly identifies as straight and says he has never had a sexual relationship with a man, making the story even more offensive, but also making it clear that the relationship dynamics are not "explained away" because they are couched in a gay relationship.

Do not recommend.

I really don't want you to buy the book, but it you are going to, then you might as well click here to purchase it and support My 50 Bookish Friends blog project.

---