If you thought Andre Aciman’s Call Me by Your Name (2007) was the pinnacle of breathtaking romance, wait till you read his latest novella — about a gentleman from Peru talking to a bunch of Americans on the Amalfi Coast.
Beginning on a note of light suspense — as is Aciman’s style — ‘The Gentleman From Peru’ takes off with a stranger touching the shoulder of one of the young Americans. Their hotel is packed with tourists. It’s summer in Italy and people are walking on the beach, or sitting in the restaurant smoking cigar over glasses of wine. From the very first page, the lazy, withdrawn cinematic quality of Aciman’s prose is evident. The tunes of Sufjan Stevens’ ‘Mystery of Love’ echo between the lines, transporting me back to the pages of his previous novels.
But unlike in those books, where real-world romances and separations are key ingredients of the story, Aciman transcends his own boundaries in The Gentleman from Peru. Raúl, the stranger from Peru, is a clairvoyant. When he touches Mark’s shoulder, the latter’s writhing pain vanishes. He enjoys a drink while warning the youngsters of the market in America going asunder by the night. He talks of Basil swallowing his twin in his mother’s womb. The eight Americans are stunned by the revelations. And like Margot, quite creeped out by his knowledge of their lives.
The magic realism flowing through the novella can surprise readers alike. One picks up Aciman’s book for the truths he reveals of relationships experienced in everyday lives: ‘We believe that our friends will stay our friends, and that those we love we’ll love forever.’ (Enigma Variations, 2017) But when Aciman begins talking of ‘…life is: a waiting room. But feel for the dead, who take what they’ve waited for to the underworld and continue waiting to come back to earth to be made to live again...’, the readers of this novella will either roll their eyes, or marvel at the depth of his insight.
Allusions to Greek and Celtic myths and legends are replete among the characters. There is Ulysses who has stopped at the island of the lotus eaters. Perhaps the Americans are part of Ulysses’s troop that is stranded on the coast because their boat broke down, and they encounter Raúl as the lotus eater. The allusion works to an extent when he is able to lure them into the web of his words. The sense of unease instilled in the reader, however, does not go away.
It seems as if Aciman too was well aware that the plot following Raúl’s revelations is beyond salvation. And this is where — acting as Ulysses on the pages — he takes charge of the romance. Undeniably, romance is Aciman’s strongest suit. He has the vision of Austen, the uncertainty of Proust, the belief of Marquez, when it comes to romance. He pours it all in as Raúl begins telling the tale of his past. The reader is transported to his earlier novel, Find Me (2019), as the old man begins weaving a romance with a stranger much younger than him.
Aciman’s words have the power to move the reader. While this novella has all the ingredients of his previous works, it also brings in a freshness as we see the writer come out of his shell and try something new. It is for the readers to decide if they prefer old-school Aciman over the Ulysses on the pages. I find myself somewhere in the middle of the two.
The reviewer is pursuing a Ph.D in Sociology at Presidency University, Kolkata.
The Gentleman from Peru
André Aciman
Faber & Faber
₹599
Published - June 01, 2024 12:14 pm IST