Artgroupie answers “Is this a case of a sequel that should not...”

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

Is this a case of a sequel that should not have been written?

Artgroupie Yes. I wish I didn't feel that way, but I do.

In the end, despite some lovely passages, actually hearing from Oliver in the first person and of course …moreYes. I wish I didn't feel that way, but I do.

In the end, despite some lovely passages, actually hearing from Oliver in the first person and of course the reunion, I don't think Find Me adds enough to CMBYN to warrant its existence, and in a number of ways it actually diminished the earlier novel and its characters for me. Aciman is like a bull in a china shop with his own timelines, retconning and rewriting aspects of CMBYN willy-nilly, to the point where it's impossible to accept both books as canon, because they contradict each other all over the place. His recycling of themes and ideas from both CMBYN and Enigma Variations feels less like an author working through his perpetual obsessions than someone who just didn't have much fresh perspective to offer on these characters. I never expected any sequel to BE Call Me By Your Name - that's not possible. But at a minimum, I hoped it wouldn't change anything about the earlier book. And then there's the atrocious treatment of female characters, from Wet Dream Miranda to the one known only as Elio's Mother (or Sami's ex-wife), since Aciman didn't see fit to give her a name, which left a definite sour aftertaste. I have a lot of admiration for Aciman's work, but this just feels like a misstep.(less)

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