I read this book and I couldn’t tell you why it was written. The writing is pretentious and the story is just so boring. It took forever for me to finish! 

Arthur Less is a privileged white, cis gendered gay man nearing his 50th birthday. He’s an author who’s had some success. He gets an invitation for the wedding of his ex lover, Freddy (not his ex-boyfriend/partner they only slept together). Their relationship lasted nearly a decade and Freddy was sleeping with Arthur at the start of his relationship with his now fiancé. Freddy is the adoptive son of Arthur’s rival, Carlos, so the age gap is cringe. But when Arthur was 21, he also dated a famous poet, Robert, who was nearly twice his age. Robert leaves him high and dry, this breaks Arthur, then turns around and takes a much younger man to be his lover, never to commit to a relationship. Then has the nerve to be upset Freddy is getting married (though it’s gross that Freddy even invited Arthur considering he was cheating on his fiancé with Arthur). Arthur also makes a few remarks about how frivolous young gay people are and their desire to marry. The audacity to cry about losing friends during the AIDS crisis and not see how amazing it is that now gays can celebrate life and love out in the open and in they way they choose.

To avoid the wedding without outright declining the invitation, he books up his year with literary award ceremonies, festivals, guest lecturing, a writer’s retreat, and an article assignment that are taking place around the world, so he can be out of the country during the wedding. The descriptions of the different countries are minimal and through a very stereotypical American tourist’s gaze. The arrogance is just so irritating (yes a lot of Americans are obnoxious, inconsiderate, and insensitive, but jeez this is so irritating). There’s no plot and no life altering revelations. 

Also, as a native Delawarean, nothing annoyed me more than the author’s clear ignorance towards the state. It’s a whole state, regardless of size, no where in the mentions of Arthur’s childhood in Delaware actually mention WHERE in the state he grew up. It’s nearly two-thirds of the way through before he says he’s from Camden, Delaware but it’s the only mention out of the dozens of Delaware references. There’s mostly extremely vague mentions of “the suburbs of Delaware”. My guy, it’s a whole state, what suburb? I’ve never heard an author only mention the state and not a city when referring to a character’s whereabouts after the first moment of establishing the location. It’s just so clear Greer has no knowledge of the state. It’s like when Americans say they’re going to Europe for the summer. 

How Robert or Freddy stayed with this man for over a decade and actually loved him is beyond me. Arthur is boring, arrogant, and the fact he thinks he’s funny when he’s just cringe is so…ugh. I hate it and Arthur is just the worst character I’ve ever read and I’ve read from the point of view of villains, psychopaths, and reckless, selfish teens and liked them. 

When the narrator was revealed, I hated this book even more. It was rushed and so anticlimactic. How could anyone be interested or obsessed in Arthur’s boring ass story is beyond me. 

His name is annoying and confusing as the narrator uses his last name to talk about Arthur. Greer tries to make some clever sentences with Arthur’s name but it’s just annoying. The chapters are so long and boring I was falling asleep (seriously it took 5 sessions to get through one chapter). Why are they so long?! I have no idea how this book could ever win any literary awards let alone a Pulitzer, but I guess that goes to how white and pretentious the Prize Board must be. 

Don’t waste your time on this book. There’s definitely a hundred other queer books that much better you could read.