It’s difficult not to compare André Aciman’s book to Guadagnino’s film version. The film is essentially a streamlined version of the novel, removing everything that doesn’t revolve around the romance between the two leads and relying so much on their performances to carry its narrative. It’s an effective approach, but so much is lost by removing the protagonist’s inner monologue from the book. Aciman’s themes are much better communicated by having the reader experience Elio’s turbulent emotions; we see him pick apart every line of dialogue and analyze it, we see his mind work as it shifts from soul crushing grief to euphoric bliss, we see him try and fail to understand and tame the emotions that haunt him. Its by spending so much time in his head that the tragedy of Elio failing to proclaim his love soomer becomes all the more impactful. Did I forget to mention how sexy the novel is? There are some lines written in here that would definitely have not made the film version, TBH. I’d definitely give this book a read, especially if you fell in love with the film as much as I did. #cmbyn #bookreviews #mho #books #bookstagram #photography #bookshelf #romance #lgbt #history #historical
