A review by akingston5
Less by Andrew Sean Greer
“Strange to be almost fifty, no? I feel like I just understood how to be young. It’s like the last day in a foreign country. You finally figure out where to get coffee, and drinks, and a good steak. And then you have to leave. And you won’t ever be back.”
•••
I picked this up awhile back because the premise sounded interesting, and there was a lot of noise with the Pulitzer. Arthur Less’s old boyfriend/not boyfriend is getting married, so he plans a many month trip abroad to NY, Italy, France, Morocco, Germany, India, and Japan. Along the way he turns 50, and he reflects on his life, the youth that was there and suddenly gone, the way age has creeped into his life next to relationships and his writing career. In many ways, this hit a little harder than I anticipated, mostly because I’ll turn 30 (not 50!) next year, but I feel like I’ve been turning 30 since my birthday this summer, like a slow walk to it with lots of celebrations and some odd grief. The line above especially has given me something to think over. It’s a pretty quick read that pulls you along, and it’s fun to guess who the narrator is for the first half!
•••
I picked this up awhile back because the premise sounded interesting, and there was a lot of noise with the Pulitzer. Arthur Less’s old boyfriend/not boyfriend is getting married, so he plans a many month trip abroad to NY, Italy, France, Morocco, Germany, India, and Japan. Along the way he turns 50, and he reflects on his life, the youth that was there and suddenly gone, the way age has creeped into his life next to relationships and his writing career. In many ways, this hit a little harder than I anticipated, mostly because I’ll turn 30 (not 50!) next year, but I feel like I’ve been turning 30 since my birthday this summer, like a slow walk to it with lots of celebrations and some odd grief. The line above especially has given me something to think over. It’s a pretty quick read that pulls you along, and it’s fun to guess who the narrator is for the first half!