This novel won the Pulitzer Prize in 2018, and although I think the other two finalists would have been better choice, I can see why the judges chose this one. It is clever in its premise, humor, and humanity, and it is told matter-of-factly in a social setting that most literary academics would find virtuous. It is also about a writer, which is a good way to get literary judges to sit up and take notice. (Was that sarcasm? Perhaps…)
The premise is indeed a good one, setting the reader up for both sympathy and comedy. The protagonist, Arthur Less, is a struggling novelist who is about to celebrate his 50th birthday. He learns that his ex-lover of nine years is about to be married, and he does not want to be anywhere near the wedding, let alone attend. So he decides to take up a series of invitations that have been piling up on his desk: speaking, reading, hosting, and other engagements. He is going to run away from his problem—the problems of growing older and all that comes with it.
Of course, the reader immediately says, “No, that’s the wrong thing to do.” We’ve all been told that running away from your problems solves nothing and usually makes them worse. But we have all done it, planned it, dreamed of doing it. And so we identify with Arthur as we judge him.
Were it not a comedy, it would be pedantic and boring. But Greer allows us to laugh at Arthur and ourselves. The humor is never forced, silly, nor unrealistic. It’s just human.
I found the writing to be quite nice, though some have said Greer is too obviously trying to be clever and “literary.” Certainly the protagonist’s name is too obvious, though fitting. The New York Times called it “too sappy by half.”
This is a novel about an aging gay writer, which screams “a tired trope!” But I appreciate the skill it takes to write a novel that is tender, humorous, and meaningful all at the same time.
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