Last week I watched the first episode of Heated Rivalry, the sex-forward show about two professional hockey stars who get physical. Unfortunately, it wasn’t for me—too much action, not enough actin’.
Last week I happened also to finish reading a different piece of art about two young men who get physical: the novel Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman. This is the one. I think it might be the most romantic thing I’ve ever seen or read. It has it all: a narrator obsessed with the semantics of small talk; longing; treatment of time in a way reminiscent of Bergson’s idea of la durée; hunger; edging; intellectuals; bodies; repression; the march of generations; Rome; the ’80s; music; swimming.
I loved the 2017 film adaptation (which launched Timothée Chalamet’s career). I suspected I would like the book. But I didn’t know it would be this good.
If you liked the movie but haven’t read the book, what are you waiting for? If you’ve seen neither the movie nor the book, correct your error swiftly! And consider starting with the original: the book!
