Less is a book that seems like a contradiction. It’s a not-so-serious reflection on the life of a just-past-middle-aged author who has recently had his heart broken. He is having a sort of existential crisis and is on a trip around the world trying to find himself. It has some romcom elements to it without being explicitly focused on romance. And this not so serious book somehow won a Pulitzer Prize. I knew I had to read it.

This book ended up being a mixed bag for me. In some ways, I really related to Arthur Less, the main character. His anxieties and insecurities were particularly realistic. So were his heartbreaks. I could imagine Less being a good person to have a cup of coffee with.

That said, at times I found the book a bit slow moving and dull. We meandered from location to location without much happening. The whole focus was Less reminiscing about his ex and it got a bit tedious. One single conversation could’ve fixed the whole thing and to me that is the most frustrating romance trope.

All in all, Less was enjoyable and light, a nice break from the heavier reading. If you’re looking for something easy with a bit of humor, this might be a good read for you.