The Gentleman From Peru

A group of friends met a mysterious man who is staying at their hotel in Italy. After they decide to invite the stranger to dinner, they have no idea how much he would change their lives and how much he already knows about them. Aciman is one of my favorite authors, so I knew straight away that this new novel wouldn't disappoint me either. The writing style was simply excellent and as charming as ever. You could feel the Italian vacation feeling, like the warmth of the sun on your skin, trough out the whole book. The story is once again on point. You have no idea in which direction it is moving and what is hidden behind the next chapter. A really great summer novel for everyone!

„So, better one hour spent doing things we'll regret having done than a lifetime waiting for heaven to touch our lives.“ With under 200 pages André Aciman did it again and enchanted me. This book was so magical and poetic and actually the first book I've read that thematized the different lifetimes all of us have lived. The way that people who are destined for each other meet again in other lifetimes, even if it takes some time and the right circumstances is a soothing thought. On top of that the atmosphere was just perfect, I wanted to be there with them and feel the sun and the saltwater on my skin.

I had to read this! Leaving aside the fact that CMBYN is one of my favorite books of all time, I absolutely love his writing. I do believe he included some elements from CMBYN, recreating the same feeling in a different story. But that's what I liked most about it, these slow italian summer vibes. Obviously it's needless to say that the writing is as beautiful and thought-provoking as ever. But overall I found it quite pointless, asking myself, where this is going.

First of all, yes the vibes are immaculate, very summery and melancholic. Unfortunately, I did not like the storyline. It was not at all like 'Call Me By Your Name.' I expected something queer and heartbreaking but it read very much like 'The Alchemist' by Coehlo and the books by John Strelecky, which I kind of despise :(