"Here he stands, our hero, looking around like a man who has grown a mustache and is waiting for someone to notice."
In fashioning a sequel to the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Less," Andrew Sean Greer has continued the slapstick adventures of Arthur Less. "Less is Lost" initially finds our protagonist working his way through grief and financial struggles before he adds to his existential "in box" along the route of his cross-country trek in a conversion van.
"Mandern laughs and others turn to look. 'That's ridiculous.'
"This seems like a strong statement from a man with a pug, a pipe, and a conversion van."
The unlikely Less encounters mistaken identities, the questioning of love, and attempts to rewire childhood memories, with the facing of racial and sexual identity challenges thrown in for good measure in case he wasn't dealing with enough.
"Through the window, piano music steals in softly and, finding nothing worth taking, steals back out again and goes silent."
While the trademark humor is absolutely ever-present, the story can be a bit difficult to follow at times, which is partially purposeful and partially avoidable. In the end, "Less is Lost" is perhaps too similar to the first book, with a halting approach to treating weighty topics robbing it of some impact. A feel-good ending may be redemptive for some readers, but others may feel as if more was possible.
"Because to love someone ridiculous is to understand something deep and true about the world. That up close it makes no sense. Those of you who choose sensible people may feel secure, but I think you water your wine; the wonder of life is in its small absurdities, so easily overlooked. And if you have not shared somebody's tilted view of the horizon (which is the actual world), tell me: what have you really seen?"
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