For Arthur Less, the protagonist of Greer's Less the answer to all his problems in life is running away. This 49 year old homosexual male writer is lost and heartbroken when he receives an invitation to his ex-lover Freddy Pelu's wedding with another man. However, to make himself look busy and important he accepts invitations to events all around the world. After his journey he realizes that being in love and in a relationship is not the same and that true love is the intertwining of two stories like Arthur and Freddy's.
Arthur has relationships with other men except Freddy who could be acceptable husbands but "once you've actually been in love , you can't live with 'will do'" (15). We also see contrasting aspects where there are certain relationships which have love even after their end. Ironically, Arthur was in a relationship with Robert before the novel took place and although he received the same kind of love they ended up splitting up. Surprisingly Arthur is "far from faithful" (58) and during his time with Robert he sleeps with other men as well. Despite this they openly profess their love for each other, however, acting upon it is not possible years later (245). While talking on the phone to Robert, Arthur stammers and remembers his deep longing for him and worries that he'll never find that type of love again. Arthur asks the question he always avoids: "Am I too old to meet someone?" This is when the novel pulls through with Less' invisible armor no longer invisible and he's forced to face reality indicating the strength of their relationship and the impact Robert had on Less making him feel young and alive once again.
Most of the details surrounding Freddy's wedding are absent from the story as they appear only as Arthur discovers them making it exclusively from Arthur's point of view and narration. When the novel nears its end we truly realize that in fact it was Freddy narrating the entire time and he is quite the opposite of Less. He repeats the same line with which the novel opened with " from where I sit , the story of Arthur Less is not so bad because it is also mine. That is how it goes with Love stories." (260). The story ends up circling home and Less finds himself where he needs to be with Freddy waiting for Arthur on his porch, his marriage lasting only one day and his true love for Arthur not being in denial anymore.
As I read this book my heart was continuously at the point of breaking. From the start readers can see the love Freddy has for Less and visa versa. A point that particularly struck me was during the chapter “Less German”. Less thinks back on his relationship with Freddy questioning, "Why didn't he say yes? Freddy's voice from the past: You want me to stay here with you forever? Why didn't he say yes?" (125). At this moment, readers witness Less’ direct expression of his feelings toward Freddy, it is clear that he regrets not staying in his relationship with Freddy, yet as readers find on the next page it’s “Because he was afraid” (126). This theme of fear seeps into every interaction Less has with others and in the way he reflects on himself. It is my belief that everyone deserves love, but most importantly we must love ourselves before we can truly love another person. Less’s insecurities stem from a struggle of self love and a dread of lost time, which seeps into his relationships. As a true romantic the end of the book had me crying, as lost time if finally made up and true love triumphs, yet I still wanted more. Is this moment truly the end to Less’ search for himself, or is this a mere distraction?
ReplyDeleteI have no idea why this posted 3 times, lol. Can't find a way to take two of them down..
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