TH-cam's algorithm sent me to your video and probably knew that I just finished re-reading SITD (for the third time). I have a couple of issues with your plot summary (which I have had with several other reviews of SITD), which kind of miss a huge part of the point of the book. The timeframe of the story is very, very specific for very specific thematic and character reasons so it's a little annoying and misleading to say the story happens vaguely "in the early eighties". The book is in the form of a long letter Ludwik starts writing to Janusz on the morning of 13th December 1981, as stated in the opening paragraph, which he finishes a little time later. The significance is that (as Ludwik describes), at midnight Saturday 12th/ Sunday 13th December 1981 in Poland a massive secret military and police operation was launched across the country arresting everyone involved in activities deemed to attempt to undermine the communist state. At 6am the government formally announced the imposition of martial law in the country , a state which would last formally for a little under two years but in practice for almost six years. During that period over 10,000 people were imprisoned without trial and more than 70 people were killed in police actions This was all meant to be the death-knell to the events of the summer of 1980 when during July and August pretty much all the important elements of Polish society including factory workers, intellectuals, students and farmers, got together to demand fairer treatment which eventually led to very wide-ranging concessions by the authorities. Over the course of 1981 the whole system started unravelling and this led to the clampdown provided by martial law. Ludwik and Janusz meet in June 1980 and one of the most beautiful aspects for me of the book is the way that everything happens while momentous events of national (and eventually international) importance are going on in the background of this passionate love affair but with one significant exception without really impacting their lives. (I've often thought of parallels with the film Casablanca). In the winter of 1980 Ludwik realises that just as he has to get out of the relationship, he also has to get out of the country, that both were stifling him to the point he couldn't carry on. He is able to escape both the relationship and the country and goes to New York (that much is clear from the opening pages so hardly a spoiler) but how he gets there and makes peace with that decision is what makes the book so satisfying. Janusz is clearly prepared to compromise both his feelings for Ludwik and his political attitudes in a way Janusz cannot. Their romance grew at the same time as their surroundings were undergoing momentous change but in the book's timeline nothing actually changed, and there was a huge reset. Of course, the following decade changed absolutely everything, which is why I am one of those who would love a sequel of how their lives ended up once the promises of 1980 were finally realised in 1991 and beyond, including more openness towards being gay, although within 20 years a lot of those dreams had turned sour. I would love to know how Janusz navigated those further changes with his family in tow. Oh, and a point on ages, Janusz and Ludwik are the same age but grew up in very different circumstances and have just completed university together so are about 21-22; Ludwik wishes to continue with his academic studies and is fighting to have his idea for a thesis accepted by his university, while Janusz is trying to fast track his career. Like yourself, I genuinely don't see any similarities with CMBYN , and as you say it's just the marketing latching onto another LGBTQ story that was hugely popular at the time on the back of the film. Incidentally there is a sequel to CMBYN which I understand Aciman wrote while the film of CMBYN was being made, set 10, 15 and 20 years later, called Find Me. And here are some other recommendations: On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong, In Memoriam by Alice Winn, Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart (another first novel, written in Glasgow English so may a bit difficult to read; I recommend the audiobook).
Hah hopefully you can appreciate that I was trying really hard to get the correct pronunciation (despite failing, I think). Ah I’m glad it’s on your TBR, it’s really good!
At first I found it funny that you decided to focus this review on the Oprah's comment, then I remembered that that particular comment was what convinced me to get the book in the first place and then forgot about it haha. You are totally right btw, they are nothing alike, it's a bit insulting towards gay themed stories that she said so, or whoever writes those articles anyway haha
I totally agree with you about the comparison of CMBYN and SITD!!!! There are no similarities other than both being love stories between gay men. I kind of find it disrespectful and tone deaf to compare them because they’re really different. Anyways SITD is a great book and I especially love it because I can relate to it in many aspects. Greetings from Poland!
I wonder if the CMBY comparison is only in the American/UK markets? The book may have been marketed differently in Poland and Germany (where the author is from). I do know CMBYN wasn't as popular as it was in non-English speaking European countries, as it was in America.
@@DrVVVinK I’m from Poland and it wasn’t marketed differently or anything. I just think people shouldn’t compare books only because they’re about gay people.
@@katjazofia3932 I agree, but I said what I said because in the American POV (who maybe hasn't really traveled) all European countries are the same, LOL. And I thought the marketers were maybe thinking, "coming of age gay love story, in a European Country in the 1980s". Which is a very big leap.
Yeah, there are other better comparisons to make!! I would compare it to “giovannis room” considering the deliberate dialogue jedrowski seems to make with it :-)
Another similarity is the age difference between the two lovers, one is older and more experienced with life, the other younger and idealistic. And didn't both love stories started in a summer as well? I don't think it's homophobic to compare to CMBYN b/c CMBYN was clearly a very popular book that was made into a major film, so the publisher probably wanted to cash in on that. But I do agree that it's a bit reductive, but what ya gonna do?
I think SITD has close to no explination of the relationship between the two characters. Which was really sad because it resulted in Januszs charachter sounding flat.
There are a few more similarities. There is a younger man and an older man in each book in which the older man initiates the younger into a mutually loving relationship. Also, in both stories, the older man responds to life's demands in a way different from the younger. In that sense, both books are a coming-of-age story for two men in love. Clearly, Opra is trying to sell this book to a female demographic since many more women read and relished Call Me than man.I agree that the capsule review is disingenuous. But in a time when there are very few readers of anything, pegging a gay story next to a successful one even if you can't map one on the other, I'll take it.
I am so sick of basically every MLM/Gay novel being compared to "Call Me by Your Name" like we get it article writers, you've never actually branched out and read other mlm novels
![Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski [cc]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/gM-GIbdi-Tw/mqdefault.jpg)
TH-cam's algorithm sent me to your video and probably knew that I just finished re-reading SITD (for the third time). I have a couple of issues with your plot summary (which I have had with several other reviews of SITD), which kind of miss a huge part of the point of the book. The timeframe of the story is very, very specific for very specific thematic and character reasons so it's a little annoying and misleading to say the story happens vaguely "in the early eighties". The book is in the form of a long letter Ludwik starts writing to Janusz on the morning of 13th December 1981, as stated in the opening paragraph, which he finishes a little time later.
The significance is that (as Ludwik describes), at midnight Saturday 12th/ Sunday 13th December 1981 in Poland a massive secret military and police operation was launched across the country arresting everyone involved in activities deemed to attempt to undermine the communist state. At 6am the government formally announced the imposition of martial law in the country , a state which would last formally for a little under two years but in practice for almost six years. During that period over 10,000 people were imprisoned without trial and more than 70 people were killed in police actions This was all meant to be the death-knell to the events of the summer of 1980 when during July and August pretty much all the important elements of Polish society including factory workers, intellectuals, students and farmers, got together to demand fairer treatment which eventually led to very wide-ranging concessions by the authorities. Over the course of 1981 the whole system started unravelling and this led to the clampdown provided by martial law.
Ludwik and Janusz meet in June 1980 and one of the most beautiful aspects for me of the book is the way that everything happens while momentous events of national (and eventually international) importance are going on in the background of this passionate love affair but with one significant exception without really impacting their lives. (I've often thought of parallels with the film Casablanca). In the winter of 1980 Ludwik realises that just as he has to get out of the relationship, he also has to get out of the country, that both were stifling him to the point he couldn't carry on. He is able to escape both the relationship and the country and goes to New York (that much is clear from the opening pages so hardly a spoiler) but how he gets there and makes peace with that decision is what makes the book so satisfying. Janusz is clearly prepared to compromise both his feelings for Ludwik and his political attitudes in a way Janusz cannot. Their romance grew at the same time as their surroundings were undergoing momentous change but in the book's timeline nothing actually changed, and there was a huge reset.
Of course, the following decade changed absolutely everything, which is why I am one of those who would love a sequel of how their lives ended up once the promises of 1980 were finally realised in 1991 and beyond, including more openness towards being gay, although within 20 years a lot of those dreams had turned sour. I would love to know how Janusz navigated those further changes with his family in tow.
Oh, and a point on ages, Janusz and Ludwik are the same age but grew up in very different circumstances and have just completed university together so are about 21-22; Ludwik wishes to continue with his academic studies and is fighting to have his idea for a thesis accepted by his university, while Janusz is trying to fast track his career.
Like yourself, I genuinely don't see any similarities with CMBYN , and as you say it's just the marketing latching onto another LGBTQ story that was hugely popular at the time on the back of the film. Incidentally there is a sequel to CMBYN which I understand Aciman wrote while the film of CMBYN was being made, set 10, 15 and 20 years later, called Find Me.
And here are some other recommendations: On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong, In Memoriam by Alice Winn, Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart (another first novel, written in Glasgow English so may a bit difficult to read; I recommend the audiobook).
As a native Polish speaker, this was great to watch haha it's not an easy language in terms of pronunciation. Adding this book to my TBR 👌🏼
Hah hopefully you can appreciate that I was trying really hard to get the correct pronunciation (despite failing, I think). Ah I’m glad it’s on your TBR, it’s really good!
At first I found it funny that you decided to focus this review on the Oprah's comment, then I remembered that that particular comment was what convinced me to get the book in the first place and then forgot about it haha. You are totally right btw, they are nothing alike, it's a bit insulting towards gay themed stories that she said so, or whoever writes those articles anyway haha
Gonna read the book this month. Great video! I sub
Will buy the book now because of your review 🎉🎉🎉
Thank you for the video! It was very informative!
I totally agree with you about the comparison of CMBYN and SITD!!!! There are no similarities other than both being love stories between gay men. I kind of find it disrespectful and tone deaf to compare them because they’re really different. Anyways SITD is a great book and I especially love it because I can relate to it in many aspects. Greetings from Poland!
I wonder if the CMBY comparison is only in the American/UK markets? The book may have been marketed differently in Poland and Germany (where the author is from). I do know CMBYN wasn't as popular as it was in non-English speaking European countries, as it was in America.
@@DrVVVinK I’m from Poland and it wasn’t marketed differently or anything. I just think people shouldn’t compare books only because they’re about gay people.
@@katjazofia3932 I agree, but I said what I said because in the American POV (who maybe hasn't really traveled) all European countries are the same, LOL. And I thought the marketers were maybe thinking, "coming of age gay love story, in a European Country in the 1980s". Which is a very big leap.
@@DrVVVinK Yeah, I guess you’re right! They’re both in the same timelines, didn’t think about that!
In spite of your arguments i cant shake the feeling that reading Jędrowskis book seems to be very inspired by the way Aciman uses metaphores.
Jedrowski never uses the word 'gay' anywhere in SITD. Only once does he write the word 'homosexual'. Interesting!
I have to read this book because it was assigned my my english professor.
I really liked the video and unrelated but I love your face too!!!!
i loved this book
I think the story is more similar to your name engraved herein than call me by your name
Yeah, there are other better comparisons to make!! I would compare it to “giovannis room” considering the deliberate dialogue jedrowski seems to make with it :-)
Another similarity is the age difference between the two lovers, one is older and more experienced with life, the other younger and idealistic. And didn't both love stories started in a summer as well? I don't think it's homophobic to compare to CMBYN b/c CMBYN was clearly a very popular book that was made into a major film, so the publisher probably wanted to cash in on that. But I do agree that it's a bit reductive, but what ya gonna do?
An Honest Man by Ben Fergusson is also well worth the read.
I’ve added it to my list on goodreads, it definitely looks like the kind of book that could pull me in. Thanks !!
I think SITD has close to no explination of the relationship between the two characters. Which was really sad because it resulted in Januszs charachter sounding flat.
There are a few more similarities. There is a younger man and an older man in each book in which the older man initiates the younger into a mutually loving relationship. Also, in both stories, the older man responds to life's demands in a way different from the younger. In that sense, both books are a coming-of-age story for two men in love. Clearly, Opra is trying to sell this book to a female demographic since many more women read and relished Call Me than man.I agree that the capsule review is disingenuous. But in a time when there are very few readers of anything, pegging a gay story next to a successful one even if you can't map one on the other, I'll take it.
I am so sick of basically every MLM/Gay novel being compared to "Call Me by Your Name" like we get it article writers, you've never actually branched out and read other mlm novels
1. Agreed
2. It took me a second to realize you aren't referring to multilevel marketing