Call Me by Your Name by Andre Aciman- Plot Summary
The narrator, Elio Perlman, recalls events during the summer of 1983, when he was seventeen and lived in Italy with his parents. His parents would host a Ph.D. student as a house visitor for six weeks each summer, who would revise a book manuscript while assisting his father with academic paperwork. Elio dislikes the practice because it requires him to depart his bedroom for the duration of the guest’s visit.
Oliver, Elio’s summer guest, is easygoing and detached, in stark contrast to Elio’s introversion. Elio invited Oliver as a guest in the hopes of forming “immediate affinities,” and he acts as his tour guide, yet Elio’s attempts to impress Oliver are received with disinterest. Though Elio understands his own bisexuality and his attraction to Oliver—he is especially delighted to learn that Oliver is Jewish, seeing it as a bridge between them—he worries that Oliver reciprocates his feelings.
Elio enters Oliver’s room one day and masturbates while wearing Oliver’s swimming trunks. Later, Elio admits his feelings for Oliver, and the two kiss on a berm where Claude Monet is said to have painted several of his paintings. Oliver pushes Elio away when he feels his penis through his clothes.
In the days that follow, Oliver and Elio grow apart. Elio begins an affair with Marzia, a local girl his own age, which is more about taking advantage of her than anything else. Seeking reconciliation, Oliver slips a note under Elio’s bedroom door, proposing a midnight meeting. Elio enters Oliver’s room at midnight and they have sex. Elio feels bad about the event and realizes he can’t keep his relationship with Oliver going.
Oliver wears Elio’s bathing suit to breakfast the next morning, replicating Elio’s earlier fetishistic behavior, and subsequently performs oral stimulation on Elio to see if he gets hard, which he does. Elio recognizes that his feelings for Oliver are still strong, and he wishes to prolong their relationship. Elio pays a visit to Marzia’s place and the two have sex; later that day, he masturbates with a chopped peach and ejaculates inside of it. Oliver later visits Elio’s chamber, consumes the peach and its contents, and has sex with Elio once more.
Oliver intends to spend three days in Rome before returning to the United States, accompanied by Elio. When Elio returns from his trip, he discovers that his belongings have already been returned to his original bedroom and that all evidence of Oliver’s visit has vanished. Elio has a conversation with his father, who says he approves of Elio and Oliver’s friendship (and romance).
That Christmas, Oliver returns to the Perlmans and reveals his intention to marry next summer. Oliver and Elio lose contact with one another and do not converse for many years.
Elio pays a visit to Oliver in the United States, where he is now a professor, fifteen years later. Elio refuses to meet Oliver’s wife and children, revealing that he still has feelings for Oliver and is jealous of his new family. Oliver admits to following Elio’s academic career and displays a postcard he carried with him when he left Italy and has saved over the years. During their final meeting in a bar, Elio and Oliver ponder the possibility that people can live two parallel lives: one in reality and one in a fantasy denied to them by external factors.
Oliver visits Elio’s family home in Italy twenty years after their initial meeting and one year before the narrator’s present. They reminisce about their time together, and Elio informs Oliver that his father has died and that he has scattered his ashes over the world. The novel finishes with Elio, the narrator, telling the reader that if Oliver recalled everything as he claims, he should “look me in the face, hold my stare, and call me by your name” once more.
Themes of “Call Me by Your Name”
André Aciman’s novel “Call Me by Your Name” addresses issues of desire, intimacy, identity, and coming of age.
Desire and Passion: One of the novel’s primary topics is desire and passion. The plot revolves around Elio, a 17-year-old boy, and Oliver, a 24-year-old doctoral student who comes to live with Elio’s family in Italy for the summer. As they manage their feelings for each other, the narrative explores the intensity of their attraction and the complexities of their emotions.
Intimacy and Vulnerability: The novel delves into the topics of intimacy and vulnerability as well. As Elio and Oliver become closer, they have intense conversations and physical and emotional closeness. The work depicts the complexities of human relationships and how vulnerability may lead to both joy and grief.
Identity and Self-Discovery: Identification and self-discovery are other major themes in the story. When he falls in love with Oliver, Elio struggles with his own sense of identity and sexuality. The novel investigates how our identities can move and evolve over time, as well as how our experiences and relationships determine who we are.
Coming of Age: “Call Me by Your Name” is also a story of Elio navigating the difficulties of growing up and finding his place in the world. Elio learns about love, loss, and the difficulties of adult relationships via his connection with Oliver.
Culture Differences: The work also delves into the cultural contrasts that exist between Elio, an Italian, and Oliver, an American. The novel takes place in the 1980s, and the cultural barrier between the two characters complicates their connection even further.
Ultimately, “Call Me by Your Name” is a beautifully written work that delves into a variety of themes concerning love, desire, and identity.
Characters in “Call Me by Your Name”
André Aciman’s novel “Call Me by Your Name” has a tiny cast of characters, each of whom plays a significant role in the development of the novel’s ideas and story.
Elio Perlman: Elio, the novel’s protagonist, is a 17-year-old teenager who spends his summers with his family in Italy. He is thoughtful, clever, and passionate, and he falls in love with Oliver during the narrative.
Oliver is a 24-year-old graduate student who is clever, self-assured, and personable. He travels to Italy for the summer to spend time with Elio’s family, and he develops a romantic relationship with Elio.
Mr. Perlman: Elio’s father is an archaeological professor who is dedicated to his career and his family. He is supportive of Elio and Oliver’s relationship and offers advice to both of them as they work through their emotions.
Mrs. Perlman: Elio’s mother, Mrs. Perlman, is a translator and art and culture enthusiast. She is friendly and supportive of her family, and she is a reassuring presence for Elio and Oliver.
Marzia: A girl from Elio’s hometown, Marzia is Elio’s friend and previous girlfriend. She is polite, educated, and kind, and she begins a romantic involvement with Elio early in the narrative.
Chiara: Chiara is an Elio friend who is a gorgeous and popular girl who is interested in Oliver. She is gregarious and confident, which contrasts with Elio’s contemplative character.
Each of these individuals contributes to the novel’s ideas and stories, and their interactions with one another are crucial to the novel’s examination of love, desire, and identity.