Find Me

i wasn't sure what i expected when i went into this, but i have to say i'm pretty disappointed.

the part of the book that centered on Elio's dad was honestly agonizing. if that were the whole thing, I might not have finished it. it was only after it became clear that we'd switched to Elio that i felt like i could go on.

there's a hell of a lot of...romantic and familial entanglement, i'll call it. tons of parallels and connections made (explicit and implicit) between Samuel and Miranda's dad, between other father-son relationships and Elio's relationships, and there's even the inexplicable fact that Samuel and Miranda's son is named for Oliver–Aciman states the obvious later through Elio (‘the child felt like ours'). i think the most frustrating aspect of these relationships that runs through the book is the ‘instant deep connection' thing.

i don't understand how this is...the sequel, and that it's serious...so much of it is cliché and amazingly overwrought and borderline nonsensical. there are parts of Aciman's prose that i still like, but there were probably even more parts that had me rolling my eyes or pausing in disgust. definitely feels like the kind of book only a previously-massively-successful author can get someone to publish.

anyway, if you adored CMBYN, you might just want to skip this one. if you want to read about manic pixie dream girls and wealthy middle-aged men that are dead inside, pick up one of the few Murakami books that fits the bill.