Less Is Lost

Arthur Less, the endearing and clumsy character from the Pulitzer Prize-winning book Less, on a memorable road journey across America in this follow-up.

"Get lost somewhere; it's always beneficial."

For Arthur Less, things are going remarkably well in his life. He is a very successful author and has a stable relationship with Freddy Pelu. However, nothing endures: Less finds himself evading his issues once again when he takes on a string of writing assignments that take him on a meandering journey throughout the United States, after the loss of an old girlfriend and an unexpected financial crisis.

With his ever-changing posse of writerly characters and his faithful companions, a rusty camper van called Rosina and a human-like black pug named Dolly, Less roams the "Mild Mild West," the South, and his birthplace in the middle of the Atlantic. He gets rid of his trademark gray suit, grows a handlebar mustache, and dresses himself like a real "Unitedstatesian" complete with cowboy hat and bolero, to varied degrees of success. Despite all of this, he is still mistaken for a writer, a Dutchman, or, worst of all, a "bad gay."

But we are unable to escape ourselves, not even via bayous, deserts, or beaches.Arthur Less finally has to face his inner demons, which vary from his estranged father and troubled relationship with Freddy to the reckoning he goes through while facing his privilege. Less Is Lost is a deep and joyful novel about the mystery of life in America, the puzzle of love, and the tales we make along the way. It has all of the irrepressible humor and melody that made Less a bestseller, Pulitzer Prize-winning, must-read breakthrough book.