Lucas Hárt answers “The thing that confuses me about this is...”

A Goodreads user asked this question about Find Me (Call Me By Your Name, #2):

The thing that confuses me about this is that Samuel is dead at the end of CMBYN, and Elio and Oliver are seemingly meeting up again for the first time since Elio visited him in the states. Obviously, "Find Me" must take place before Samuel's death, so does it take place in those five years? Do Elio and Oliver meet up at all in "Find Me"? If they do, it seems to go against what happened in the final few pages of CMBYN

Lucas Hárt

This answer contains spoilers… (view spoiler)[Child - why is this so difficult for so many?

I am literally stood here wondering if I read the whole thing wrong for a minute - but lets go over what I read.

First chapter is around 10 years after Oliver's exit (Elio 27, Oliver 34): in CMBYN Elio's parents call him to tell him Oliver is back, after 9 years - so technically they haven't divorced yet, and Sami says himself that a while after their son left they realized that their marriage was just together for him. We even get a sense of this from Sami, as he speaks to Elio and envies what he had with Oliver.

Second chapter is around 15 years after Oliver's exit (Elio 32, Oliver 39): This is when Elio eventually goes to see Oliver at the university, and when he is dating Michel (which he doesn't tell Oliver about at the time, because they break up as soon as Elio leaves for the US, as their relationship has an expiration date set by Michel himself). At this time, Sami is still alive and there is word of a small child, which means that little Ollie is just a toddler, around 2-3 years old. Also, Oliver refrains from asking Elio about his parents as he knows what's happened with them and their divorce (in CMBYN, that is) and doesn't want to bring it up.

Third chapter is 20 years after Oliver's exit (Elio 37, Oliver 44): Oliver has finally come to terms with himself and is ready to go back to Elio, not even knowing what he will be greeted with. He is ready to give up everything in order to go back and give it a chance. Little Ollie is 7 years old, and Sami is officially dead at this time (which means he died sometime the last 5 years). Oliver comes back and reunites with Elio.

Fourth and final chapter is 20+ years (Elio 37+, Oliver 44+): This is the happily ever after chapter, that gives us a short but resourceful insight to what their lives looked like once Oliver made the right choice for him and Elio, and came back to where he belonged. Not sure how many years pass through this brief chapter, but who cares - it's ending with
a bang (literally). Miranda and Annella are both living in the house with Elio, weirdly enough (no mention of the man that Annella left Sami and flew away to Milan for). It is mentioned that Annella is quite weak and can no longer walk up the stairs, and that Miranda has Elio's old room with her son, Ollie, in the connecting room. It is also mentioned that Miranda travels a lot, hence Oliver and Elio raising little Ollie.

And that's it, folks!

I was kinda upset that this book didn't go deeper into the lost years between Oliver and Elio, but rather focused on their turning points.
For instance when Michel tells Elio to go find Oliver because they are meant to be together (which is the first time Elio takes initiative to see/talk to Oliver again after all this time). Or at Oliver's party, when he is leaving to go back to New Hampshire but realizes that is not the home he is meant to go back to, and returns to Elio (finally seeing what we were all seeing this whole time).

At first I didn't see why it was necessary giving half the book to Sami and Miranda and their 3 days of glory, but after finishing the book I realized this was the best way to make sense of Sami and Annella's storyline... and at the same time bring Ollie into life, in a way that would benefit Oliver and Elio (in raising him and re-bonding over that). But, having said that - this *older* Samuel we met (presumably in his late 50s?) was a real fresh breath of air! Sami is who he was obviously talking about with Elio, explaining how he didn't really do what he wanted to do and didn't find his real route in life. To then finally give him the ending he deserved, but cut it short - was bittersweet.

All in all, I imagine that if there would ever be a movie adaption, the first chapter would be cut way shorter and the focus would rather be on Elio and Oliver with the events of the final pages of CMBYN, and the last three chapters of Find me. Also, if they start the movie 10 years later, I wouldn't be mad if they had to change the actors as they would be 10-20 years older through the movie! I absolutely loved Timothée and Armie as Elio and Oliver and somehow they fit right in my imagination of them, but seeing the reports lately... lets just say that if they have to change Hammer with another actor, I'm sorry, but they would have to change Chalamet as well.

Not facts, just my opinions. (hide spoiler)]

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