I believe this book was the highlight of my summer reading. Aciman, in winning me over with this story, has led me to recently acquire his entire catalog of essays and memoirs, which I look forward to attacking as summer is ending. Short and (extra) sweet, it follows an over-educated 17-year-old seducing and being seduced by his father’s visiting scholar at their summer home in Italy. Coming-of-age stories, when done well, must speak directly to the romantic idealist, and this one succeeds by communicating straight to the heart.

The above paragraph was the short review I published in the Tartan this past August. Nothing has changed, I have fond memories of this story and it is the best fiction I have read this year.