André Aciman’s fourth novel, Enigma Variations, is more of an exercise in tone than anything else, which makes sense. The title is taken from an eponymous composition by Edward Elgar and is, in an odd sort of way, a literary interpretation of the piece. The book is broken into five sections, each of them tracing the relationships that Paul, a classicist, has with a significant romantic partner.
As a whole, Enigma Variations is short on plot and substance, but its stream of consciousness narrative and naked display of emotion make the experience a rewarding one.
“First Love,” the opening and best section of the book, sets an impressively high bar for the rest of the story. On vacation with his parents, Paul becomes infatuated with Giovanni, who has been hired by his parents to fix a desk. The whole scenario is a bit like a darker interpretation of Aciman’s earlier novel Call Me by Your Name, which was probably why I enjoyed it so much. The author’s fondness for Proust is on full display as well. Synesthetic reminders of Giovanni recur in the novel like ghosts: a rough sweater, a polishing cloth, pastries, etc. There’s an intensity to “First Love” that is unfortunately lacking in other sections.
The other sections of the book, or variations, give diminishing returns. “Star Love” and “Spring Fever,” which feature Paul’s relationships with college classmates, are just as well-written as “First Love,” but lack the same feverish qualities. They’re not bad per se, just entirely different from what came before—more conventional, less haunting. The novel’s events are riddled with holes, and if they were handled a bit better there would be a better sense of mystery.
However, I can’t extend this sympathy to the book’s final section, “Abingdon Square,” which feels disconnected and unnecessary. If it were treated as an epilogue, and less bloated, I might have liked it more. The closest Aciman comes to recapturing the intensity of “First Love” is in “Manfred,” the middle section of the book. It’s both too short and a welcome reprieve from some of the tediousness.
The book is best read as a short story collection, albeit one with shared characters and continuity. For all my criticism of some of the book’s parts it is, as a whole, of the best books I’ve read in the past few months. Aciman is a gifted writer, but I would suggest reading some of his other works, especially the aforementioned Call Me by Your Name (a film adaptation just premiered at Sundance, too) first.
