Less

To avoid attending his ex-boyfriend's wedding, a minor novelist on the verge of turning fifty accepts every half-baked literary invitation he has been sent and embarks on a bumbling circumnavigation of the globe, fleeing heartbreak and the specter of failure through a series of comic misadventures. Greer writes a comedy of exquisite tenderness, and its trick is that the protagonist, seen from outside by the narrator whose identity is the book's quiet reveal, is far more loved and far less a failure than he believes. The prose is witty and beautiful, the pacing brisk, the tone comic on the surface and, underneath, a moving meditation on aging, love, and the fear that one's life has not amounted to much. This is a book for readers who want literary comedy with real heart, who appreciate gorgeous prose and gentle wit, and who want a novel that is funny and warm without being slight. Readers wanting high drama or fast plot should note the pleasures are those of voice, observation, and slowly accumulating emotional resonance. What makes it exceptional is the balance Greer strikes, genuinely funny page by page, genuinely moving in sum, and the warmth of its final turn, which recasts the whole comic journey as a love story. Arthur Less, gay, aging, anxious, and lovable, is a wonderful comic creation with a real inner life. The narration hides a tender secret that transforms the book on completion. A joyful, humane, beautifully written comedy about the fear of a wasted life and the discovery that it wasn't wasted at all, and proof that a comic novel can carry genuine emotional weight.

Best for readers who want genuine wit: sharp, clever writing that earns its laughs. The writing rewards attention without being demanding, a good balance of depth and readability. It takes its time, and that's the point. Patience is rewarded. If you need emotional weight in your reading, the lightness here may frustrate.