BOOKS: Less

On a friend’s recommendation, I thought Andrew Sean Greer’s “Less” might be a fun audiobook for a long road trip. Indeed it was. This artfully told tale chronicles the mid-life crisis of Arthur Less, an author of modest repute who mostly lives in the shadow of his much-more-famous ex-lover, and who arranges a quirky round-the-world trip in an attempt to avoid facing a milestone birthday and some fearful self-examination. His misadventures nearly rival Candide, the characters he encounters are droll, and the whole tale is told with crisp prose in a distinctively detached, wry style, the verbal equivalent of a perfectly arched eyebrow. Good gay fun.