“By his forties, all he had managed to grow is a gentle sense of himself, akin to the transparent carapace of a soft-shelled crab. A mediocre review or careless slight can no longer harm him, but heartbreak, real true heartbreak, can pierce his thin hide and bring out the same shade of blood as ever. How can so many things become a bore by middle age-philosophy, radicalism, and other fast foods-but heartbreak keeps its sting? Perhaps because he finds fresh sources for it. Even foolish old fears have never been vanquished, only avoided: telephone calls (frenetically dialing like a man decoding a bomb), taxicabs (fumbling the tip and leaping out as from a hostage situation), and talk to attractive men or celebrities at parties (still mentally rehearsing his opening lines, only to realize they are saying their goodbyes). He still has these fears, but the passage of time solved them for him. Texting and email saved him from phones forever. Credit card machines appeared in taxis. A missed opportunity could contact you online. But heartbreak – how can you avoid it except to renounce love entirely? In the end, that is the only solution Arthur Less could find.”
Arthur Less believes himself to be basic, ordinary, and perhaps a little boring. He found himself always next to greatness, but never a part of it. After breaking up with his longtime partner, Arthur decides to sleep with someone completely inappropriate to shield himself from the trap of love. However, after spending nine years with Freddy, Less finds himself in love once more. Alas, Freddy decides to get married to someone else, and instead of attending the wedding of Freddy and his new love, Arthur accepts every speaking/teaching invitation he receives. This starts his whirlwind tour of the world.
This novel is a joy to read. Arthur’s self deprecating humor kept us laughing out loud, and his language mistakes while abroad are something to which most travelers can relate. While in New York, Arthur decides to treat himself to a Broadway musical:
“By the end, Arthur Less is in tears, sobbing in his seat, and he thinks he has been sobbing quietly until the lights come up and the woman seated next to him turns and says, ‘Honey, I don’t know what happened in your life, but I am so sorry,’ and gives him a lilac-scented embrace. Nothing happened to me, he wants to say to her. Nothing happened to me. I’m just a homosexual at a Broadway show.“
Then to Mexico, where he tastes some local relishes, and declares that they taste like his grandmother’s chow-chow:
“Less shrugs, looking from face to face. ‘Of course, her chow-chow wasn’t so spicy.’ At that, the dam breaks; all the young men burst into howls of laughter, hooting and weeping beside the chili bins. The vendor looks on with raised eyebrows. And even when it begins to subside, the men keep stoking their laughter, asking Less how often he tastes his grandmother’s chow-chow. And does it taste different at Christmas? And so on. It does not take long for Less to understand, sharing a pitying gaze with the Head, feeling the burn of the relish beginning anew in the back of his mouth, that there must be a false cognate in Spanish, yet another false friend . . . “
Followed by Italy, and then onto Germany, where Less is so confident in his German language skills that he teaches a university class:
“Bold instead of perfect, Less’s tongue is bruised with errors. Male friends tend to switch to girls in the Lessian plural, becoming Freindin instead of Freund; and by using auf den Strich instead of unterm Strich, he can lead intrigued listeners to believe he is going into prostitution.”
His trip to Morocco is delayed by a brief stint in Paris, where he tries to beat the tax system and meets up with an old friend. Finally, Morocco followed by India. But Arthur cannot really escape his memories. Each country is flooded with memories of his past love, and as much as he wants to forget, he is unable. His flashbacks will give you more insight into his previous relationships, and all his self-doubts. While we believe in Arthur Less, he, himself, does not. Which makes us cheer for him all the more.
This novel is an unexpected love story. As much as Arthur denies it, you will want him to find love and happiness. You will laugh, your heart will cry, and you will continue to root for this truthfully human protagonist.
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