LGBTQ+ Annotation: Find Me
Find Me by André Aciman
Genre: LGBTQ+
Publication Date: October 29, 2019
Number of Pages: 260
Series: Call Me By Your Name
Synopsis: Find Me is
a sequel to Aciman’s Call Me By Your Name (2007) which gained critical acclaim
after its 2017 film adaptation. Told in four parts, the book focuses on a
variety of different types of love including homosexual, heterosexual, and
bisexual. First, there is Samuel, an older professor who finds love with a
younger woman on a trip from Florence to Rome. Then there is Samuel’s son,
Elio, who was the protagonist from Call Me By Your Name, who has a
romantic relationship with an older man named Michel. The third part focuses on
Oliver, Elio’s love interest from the first novel, who is married and has
children, but still fondly recalls his romance with Elio. In the last part, Elio
and Oliver reunite once again.
LGBTQ+ Elements:
“provide[s] a safe haven of knowledge and
reassurance for those whose feelings stray from the ‘normalised’ biology of
human beings” (Stokes,
2018)
A variety of sexual orientations and identities are ‘normalized”
in this novel. By choosing to depict homosexual, heterosexual, and bisexual
romantic relationships, Aciman shows that all types of sexuality are “normal” and
love is love, no matter who it involves. Samuel’s understanding and acceptance
of his son Elio’s fluid sexuality is extremely important because it acts as “reassurance”
for readers who may feel like their sexual identities or preferences do not fit
into the norm. In fact, Aciman creates a new norm by including male characters
who have romantic relationships with both men and women.
An exploration of “[t]he broader
perspective of sexuality” (Stokes, 2018)
Like the first novel in this series, Aciman’s work
blends a variety of different sexual perspectives including homosexuality,
heterosexuality, and bisexuality. Most readers will find his work appealing and
romantic as he does not single out different types of sexuality, but rather finds
commonalities among them. Sexuality and love are fluid in Find Me and
Elio, Samuel, and others have open conversations on what it means to experience
love regardless of gender or sexuality.
“address a variety of topics in gender,
sexuality, and identity” (Tarulli, 2018)
Gender, sexuality, and identity are not issues, but
rather topics for discussion in Aciman’s novel. Gender roles are not clearly
defined, and that is okay, as Elio’s fluid sexuality does not define him. He
falls in love with people regardless of gender. In many ways, Find Me is
a romance novel, but it breaks barriers by redefining what LGBTQ+ literature is
or should be.
Read-Alikes:
Call Me By Your Name
by André Aciman
Tin Man by Sarah Winman
Giovanni’s Room
by James Baldwin
References
Aciman, A. (2019). Find me. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Stokes,
K. (2018, February 27). LGBTQ+ representation in literature. The Boar. https://theboar.org/2018/02/lgbtq-representation-literature/
Tarulli, L. (2018). Gender, sexuality, and identity in
fiction: suggesting new titles to make all readers feel like they belong. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 57(4), 248–250.
Juliana,
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an interesting book! I haven't read or watched Call Me By Your Name yet but have heard pretty good things about it. Have you read Call Me By Your Name and did you end up liking this book? Sometimes I feel like series are difficult because we can compare them to the first book that wowed us.
Hi, Darla! I read Call Me By Your Name last year and watched the movie after. I loved both! Though this book focuses on more than one protagonist and has a different format (the four sections) as opposed to the more linear structure of the first novel, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. Both books are well-written love stories. I highly recommend them!
DeleteHi Juliana! The idea of multiple stories, some of which continuing the journey of Call Me By Your Name sounds very appealing. I also love narratives where gender and sexuality are not displayed as an 'issue' but are characterized as expression of love and desire. These stories make the characters so much more human to me. I am definitely adding this book to my TBR. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ivette! I really enjoyed your annotation on Blue is the Warmest Color as well. I just left a comment for you!
DeleteHello! I really enjoyed the film adaptation of "Call Me by Your Name" and have been meaning to read the book. I imagine this would also be an interesting read because of the different storylines and relationships that are intertwined. These are definitely the sort of novels that I would enjoy reading. Although I greatly appreciate the increase and/or highlights in/of LGBTQ works, there are definitely books that discuss the challenges, and there are books that show the complexities of love. This is one of the latter books and I have a feeling it is one of my next reads!
ReplyDeleteI've been meaning to see Call Me By Your Name for over a year! This annotation makes me want to read the books as well. Very well written - full points!
ReplyDelete