My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I admit I didn't read Call Me By Your Name, but I did see the movie. When I heard it had a sequel, I had to find out what happened to Oliver and Elio, who fell in love in Italy when Elio was only 17 and Oliver was Elio's father's graduate student. The last Elio heard from Oliver, Oliver was getting married.
15 years have passed, and now Elio is a 32-year-old professional pianist. His father, Sami (Samuel), is taking the train to visit him. Divorced, lonely Sami meets single-but-it's-complicated Miranda. Miranda has daddy issues. Their complicated romance ensues.
Next we get a glimpse into Elio's life in Paris with his could-be second love, Michel. Michel is perhaps 15 to 20 years older than Elio, but not quite Sami's age. Elio has daddy issues, too. As does Michel, who suspects his late father's unspoken secret was an early-adulthood romance with a Jewish musician.
Oliver, too, is a father. He and wife Micol have two sons, but as they get ready to move the family from New York to New Hampshire, Oliver realizes his time with Micol is at its natural end. And then...well, I won't spoil it, but it's lovely.
I read this book in two sittings. It's full of vigils, mysteries, coincidences, and deja vu. The prose is lovely and the emotions are strong. It serves as a fitting ending to the story of Oliver and Elio.
I checked this hardcover book out from my local library and wasn't obligated in any way to review it.
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