Sexualityīoth Oliver and Elio feel sexual attraction to both men and women. While Elio knows that his time with Oliver is limited, mention of the approaching departure date is seemingly overlooked in favor of a timeless tone, while time continues to pass and challenge Elio's ability to be with Oliver-merciless and eternal at once. Knowledge of Oliver's limited time at the villa looms over the entire novel. Moments that punctuate the summer, such as the episode at Monet's berm, take on this timeless quality as well: they live on in Elio's memory, in Oliver's postcard, and-in a meta-literary sense-in the text itself, forever accessible.
Memories of the summer blur into one another and the languid routine pastimes at the villa paint large swaths of time with the same brushstroke.
At times, Aciman's prose evokes a feeling of timelessness, and later in Elio's life, his memories of his summer with Oliver possess a timeless quality to them. Time in the novel is both merciless and eternal, something that both happens to the characters and passes through them. Additionally, Elio's relationship with Marzia explores the line between friendship and sexual intimacy.Įlio's parents insist that Elio spend more time with friends, and much of the novel explores Elio's process of understanding "why others are so important," as his parents put it. Though Elio cannot understand why the two become so close, it seems to him more natural and beautiful than his own friendship with Oliver. The theme of friendship also appears in Oliver's close friendship with Vimini, the 10-year-old leukemic genius. Together, they find a partner with which to talk about anything: literature, philosophy, music, and work. Elio desires not only physical intimacy, but also friendship with Oliver, and Oliver reciprocates these feelings. In the relationship between Elio and Oliver, friendship is just as important as their passion and sexual desire. Elio's obsession evolves from infatuation to romantic love to a love that ultimately punctuates his life story and goes on to influence his perception of love forevermore. It is a force greater than oneself, pulling the lover toward their object of desire inextricably. Such love is shown to take control of a person's thoughts and leave a permanent imprint on the lover's memory once the love is consummated. He frequently fantasizes about and longs for physical intimacy with Oliver, shown in his dreams and in his incessant thoughts of Oliver, which he struggles to conceal from Oliver and the other residents of the villa. Elio becomes obsessed with Oliver's body, mannerisms, and relationships. The theme of obsessive love drives much of the plot of the novel and lies at the heart of Elio's development as a character.
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