Written by Jessica and Photo by Vincent Versluis on Unsplash
Less, a novel named for its main character, Arthur Less, is way MORE. Sorry I couldn’t resist! I was surprised by the book, since I had never heard anyone talking about it. However, after doing very minimal research, I found that it has won a Pulitzer. So it definitely isn’t bad, if you don’t want to take my word for it, at least trust the Pulitzer Prize committee? * shrugs* It is first and foremost about finding yourself. Arthur, a 49 year old man, who has 50 lurking just around the corner, is trying to run away from his problems. Specifically one problem: his ex boyfriend who happens to be getting married. Yikes.
The unknown narrator starts and ends the book, telling the readers how they see Arthur. In the middle, you see Arthur in many different countries: Mexico, France, Italy, Morocco. Just to name a few. In each country, he seems to be searching for love. He is scared that he is too old to find love again. He also has flashbacks to when he had an affair with Richard, a married writer. In these flashbacks, we are able to see how they were together. How much they truly loved each other, seeing the flaws and loving them more for them.
Arthur seems like an ordinary person who happens to live an extraordinary life. He doesn’t quite know what to do with it.
Arthur seems like an ordinary person who happens to live an extraordinary life. He doesn’t quite know what to do with it. He loves deeply, but then fears that love or more, fear what happens when that love disappears. Everyone wants to find a love that they can’t live without, until they no longer have it. He learns this throughout the novel while encountering possible love interests and new friends.
He was able to make Arthur so lifelike, human, imperfect. He always makes a point to mention how ordinary he is and he doesn’t understand how these amazing people love him.
The book is beautifully written. Since Arthur is a writer, you kind of expect that even his thoughts are wonderfully put together, and the book proves it. Andrew Sean Greer knows how to write a sentence. More importantly, he knows how to make a character relatable even if you are nothing alike and haven’t had a single experience that they have. He was able to make Arthur so lifelike, human, imperfect. He always makes a point to mention how ordinary he is and he doesn’t understand how these amazing people love him. However, as I was going through the novel, I found myself thinking that if Arthur was a person, I would want to be friends with him. He may be normal, nothing special, but he makes every person feel important, which is a quality that is anything but ordinary.
Travel by the Book 