Less - Andrew Sean Greer

   “He kisses—how do I explain it? Like someone in love. Like he has nothing to lose. Like someone who has just learned a foreign language and can use only the present tense and only the second person. Only now, only you. There are some men who have never been kissed like that. There are some men who discover, after Arthur Less, that they never will be again.” 


Arthur Less is a novelist about to turn fifty, and at the same time a wedding invitation pops up from his ex-boyfriend. Rather than acknowledge both of these things, Less instead accepts every literary event on his desk which takes him all across the world, from New York, to Paris, to Morocco, Less plunges himself into one hilarious situation after another and also makes some heart-breaking, cathartic realisations along the way. 

  This was a book that somehow slipped under my radar, and had it not been slipped to me by a bookseller at Waterstones Piccadilly, my guess is that it still wouldn't have registered with me, even with the big accolade of the novel winning the Pulitzer Prize this year. But thank goodness for that bookseller, as this was one of the most surprising, bewildering and charming books that I have read this year. Arthur Less is a brilliantly written character, utterly adorable in his baffling awkwardness and his voyage across the world. With Arthur, he becomes our viewpoint in a world of satirical award ceremonies and heavily stereotyped characters you would find in the industry. But the skewering of the literary world never feels malicious or purposeful, more rather tongue-in-cheek, as I'm sure many aspiring authors have been in Arthur's shoes. He is told that he isn't 'gay' enough or that his book isn't good enough as no one wants to feel sorry for "a white middle-aged american man walking around with his white middle-aged American sorrows". The commentary here is biting but yet seemingly affectionate, for all that he is ridiculed and speculated about, he carries on, moving forward on to the next endeavour.

  Greer's humour woven throughout the novel carries a dry, bizarre tone that stays consistent throughout, measured in balance against some of the more sombre moments. From realising he is no longer as young as he remembers or reminiscing about a former lover, there is always a soupçon of happiness or laughter to balance out the sadness.  A perfect example is when Less goes to see a Broadway show and "by the end Less is in tears sobbing in his seat and the woman seated beside him says 'Honey, I don't know what happened in your life, but I am so sorry.'" Rather than dwell too long on this moment, Less's reply is a simple "Nothing happened to me. I'm just a homosexual at a Broadway show". What's interesting is that Less himself doesn't narrate his tale, though we do get an insight into his past relationships and his early years. The narrator never reveal themselves, hidden through a wisp of omniscient smoke, until the very last page in a very bittersweet moment, showing themselves to be someone Less has underestimated all along. 

  The only downside, and it's a trifling thing, is that the plot is fairly non-existent, save for Less hopping from country to country, getting himself involved in a bizarre escapade or a spontaneous love affair, sandwiched between moments of Less's past. To some, this may feel annoying, but I didn't mind it, though it did feel a little slow to begin with. The reflection on love, happiness and the art of writing are the important things to take away here, or the realisation that despite turning fifty, it's never too late to make a difference or chase a dream; this is encompassed beautifully by the ending and the grand revealing of the narrator. 

  A surprisingly funny and sad novel, 'Less' never truly becomes a true pastiche of the high-brow literary world in favour of making Arthur Less one of the most affectingly charming fictional characters of the year that will hopefully make you crack on with that novel you haven't quite finished yet, or take an impromptu trip abroad, either or. A wonderful, mesmerising read.

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Published by Abacus, an imprint of Little Brown.