Book Club Guide

Less

by Andrew Sean Greer · 2017 · Literary Fiction

Key themes

The minor writer's life as worthy of comedy — and of attention
Running from heartbreak by accepting every invitation in the world
Arthur Less as an unreliable narrator of his own story — until the final reveal

About this book

Arthur Less, a minor novelist about to turn fifty, accepts a series of literary invitations around the world to avoid attending his ex-boyfriend's wedding — and finds himself, almost despite his own bumbling, on a journey toward something like self-acceptance. Greer's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is a comic, tender portrait of an unsuccessful writer who turns out to be the hero of his own story after all.

Published in 2017, Less won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction — a surprise to many given its comic tone. Greer has said he wrote it partly as an experiment in writing about gay middle age with humour rather than tragedy, genres he felt were underrepresented.

Discussion questions

Arthur Less accepts a series of literary invitations to avoid his ex's wedding. How does Greer use this premise — as farce, as genuine flight, or as both?
The novel is narrated by someone close to Less, though this isn't revealed until late. How does this narrative device work — and what does the eventual revelation change about how you read everything that came before?
Less repeatedly underestimates himself — as a writer, as a person, as someone capable of being loved. How does Greer develop this self-deprecation — with affection, with gentle mockery, or both?
The novel is genuinely funny — slapstick, embarrassment, comic misunderstanding — while also being about real grief and ageing. How does Greer balance comedy and feeling?
Less won the Pulitzer Prize, somewhat to the surprise of critics who had read it as a light comic novel. What does it do that earns this recognition — and does comedy deserve more serious critical attention?