ICYMI: This funny, wry, silly, sweet, heartbreaking story feels light on the surface but has deep meaning churning underneath.
“I look at you, and you’re young. You’ll always be that way for me. But not for anyone else. Arthur, people who meet you now will never be able to imagine you young.”
Arthur Less is about to turn fifty and is a novelist of limited acclaim. When his ex sends him a wedding invitation, Arthur panics. He can't attend, but he can't stay home. He decides to accept all of the random literary event invitations he's received and to put together a makeshift tour of the world, putting thousands of miles between him and his problems.
Less is a surprisingly sympathetic character, and as he's using an unusual method to escape attending an ex's wedding he fumbles into figuring out his past and some of his future.
Andrew Sean Greer offers a story of enduring love, loss, chance encounters, friendship, adventure, and wonderful realizations large and small. Greer describes small moments so fully, they feel like everything. I thought this was just great.
Less is absurd, very funny, and a little heartbreaking--light on the surface but with plenty of meaning churning underneath. It was definitely the right book at the right time for me when I read it. I loved it. Oh, this wonderful book!
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Andrew Sean Greer's sequel, Less Is Lost, is scheduled for publication this fall.