Less

Andrew Sean Greer’s novel is a comic escape story that turns into something far more tender and perceptive. Arthur Less, a mildly famous novelist approaching fifty, accepts a string of literary invitations around the world to avoid attending his ex-boyfriend’s wedding. The premise allows Greer to satirize writers, festivals, aging, vanity, and cultural awkwardness with delightful ease. Yet beneath the surface wit lies a sincere portrait of loneliness and emotional evasiveness. Arthur is both ridiculous and deeply sympathetic, which makes the novel’s humor land with unusual warmth. The prose is elegant, light on its feet, and often quietly devastating. Travel becomes less about glamorous movement than about the impossibility of outrunning oneself. The book also has a lovely sense of timing, revealing emotional truths just after the laugh. By the end, what looked like a farce has become a deeply humane novel about love and self-acceptance. It is charming, smart, and unexpectedly moving.