Detailed summary of Call Me by Your Name (2007) by André Aciman

Detailed summary of Call Me by Your Name (2007) by André Aciman — a deeply emotional and sensual coming-of-age love story.

🌿 Overview

Call Me by Your Name is set in summer 1983 in Northern Italy.

It tells the story of Elio Perlman, a 17-year-old Jewish-Italian boy, and Oliver, a 24-year-old American scholar who comes to stay at Elio’s family home.

The novel explores first love, desire, longing, and the bittersweet intensity of youth.

💞 Detailed Summary

1. Arrival of Oliver

Elio lives with his parents in a villa in Italy. His father, a professor of archaeology, hosts Oliver, a charming and confident graduate student, for the summer to help with research.

At first, Elio finds Oliver arrogant and distant, while Oliver is polite but reserved. Despite the initial tension, a mutual attraction begins to grow.

2. Growing Tension and Connection

Elio is self-conscious and curious about his feelings and sexuality. He experiences intense emotional and physical longing for Oliver.

They share small, intimate moments — playing music together, swimming, and discussing literature — which slowly deepen their bond.

Elio begins experimenting with subtle gestures and coded glances, testing Oliver’s reaction and exploring his own desires.

3. The First Intimate Encounter

After weeks of flirtation and unspoken tension, Elio and Oliver finally succumb to their attraction. Their relationship becomes passionate and secretive, confined mostly to the villa and nearby areas.

Their love is intense, tender, and filled with longing, as they both navigate the excitement and fear of first love.

4. Family Awareness and Acceptance

Elio’s family notices the connection but responds with warmth and understanding. His father, in particular, provides emotional guidance and encourages Elio to embrace the experience fully, even though it will eventually end.

This acceptance allows Elio to experience love without shame or guilt, which is rare for a first love of such intensity.

5. The End of Summer

Oliver’s stay comes to an end as he must return to the United States.

Before leaving, Elio and Oliver share a final, poignant night together. Their parting is bittersweet: a mixture of love, sorrow, and the awareness that their time together is temporary.

6. Years Later – Reflection

The novel includes a reflection years after the summer. Elio, now an adult, recalls the intensity of his first love with Oliver.

Oliver has married someone else, and Elio has moved on, but the memory of that summer remains vivid, shaping his understanding of desire, intimacy, and loss.

The novel ends with a quiet meditation on longing, memory, and the transformative power of love, leaving readers with the bittersweet ache of a love that could not last but will never be forgotten.