Less Is Lost

Arthur stumbles his way through an interview in German. The interviewer asks him if he’s nervous to work with H.H.H. Mandern, an iconic and beloved fantasy writer who is notoriously erratic.

On the flight to Palm Springs, a buzzing noise worries the passengers. The plane decides to make an emergency landing. Arthur realizes that the buzzing sound is his electric razor turned on in the luggage in the overhead compartment. The razor has also shredded the one sweater Arthur packed.

Arthur is driven to H.H.H. Mandern’s event. Arthur first met and interviewed Mandern two years earlier at a literary event. Mandern is known for being late; Arthur hops onto his Prize committee call while he waits for him. Arthur has heard of the other writers on the committee but has never read their work. The chair is Arthur’s literary nemesis Finley Dwyer, who once called Arthur a “bad gay.” The committee stumbles through an awkward conversation of what type of writer they’re hoping will win the Prize.

Arthur thinks about Finley’s accusation that Arthur is a “bad gay.” Arthur recalls moving to New York City as a young man. He had tried to become active with pro-gay political activities and cultural events, but couldn’t keep up with the sexual promiscuity that was popular at the time, and left New York.

Mandern is late for his event. Arthur is asked to begin by reading his own work. Mandern’s fans heckle Arthur, and the experience recalls his father Lawrence selling from a stage. Arthur reads but is cut off by Mandern’s arrival. After the event, Mandern tells Arthur that the profile is canceled. Arthur reminds him that their interviews are supposed to end in Santa Fe. Mandern is looking for someone and proposes that if Arthur helps him find her, they can get to Santa Fe. At 85 years old, Mandern doesn’t fly.

Mandern, his dog Dolly, and Arthur drive a camper van, “Rosina.” Arthur struggles behind the wheel of the large and clunky vehicle. They stop in the desert at a place called Bombay Beach, where there is no beach, and stay in the Ski Inn, where there is no skiing. Arthur is uncomfortable in his new surroundings. Freddy describes Arthur as the kind of person who “[i]n thoroughly American settings—a football stadium, a beer-and-television bar, a railroad-car diner—where most citizens relax among their own kind, finally free of foreign entanglements, Less sits bolt upright, looking as if he were not actually there” (65). At a bar, Less tries to ask Mandern questions for the profile, but Mandern insists on swapping stories. Mandern asks about Arthur’s father. Arthur calls Freddy to check in: “[…] [d]uring our traditional goodbye, there is worry beneath the words” (68).

As they go to sleep in tents, Mandern tells Arthur that they’re looking for Mandern’s daughter.

Freddy thinks about the time he and Arthur went camping. They had to make their own boat out of logs and had a difficult time.

Arthur and Mandern continue their drive. Arthur tells Mandern that his father left when Arthur was just a kid. Lawrence had been a motivational speaker and headed a Ponzi scheme. He ran away when the cops were after him, and Arthur never heard from him again. In explaining why Mandern is taking an unusually long time on his novel, Mandern alludes to Homer’s The Odyssey and Penelope’s constant weaving on the loom to avoid marrying any of her suitors.

They stop at a gorge called Ambrogio, a small hippie arts commune. Arthur is given a teepee to sleep in below the construction of a Universal Appreciation Platform. Mandern introduces Arthur to Arathusa, whose philosophy is “Know no no” (45). Arthur is confused about this philosophy and because he doesn’t see it spelled out, he doesn’t know what Arathusa is saying. Rebecca calls Arthur to tell him that their long-absent father called her from New Mexico. She’s worried that Lawrence is dying. Arthur admits that Robert’s death has hit him particularly hard: Robert was always the grown-up he could rely on to fix things when Arthur was lost or messed up.

Arthur goes to the commune’s hot springs. He’s naked and believes it’s a naked hot spring, but the other swimmers are clothed. Arthur is thrilled that they are German and seizes the chance to practice his very bad German. They share weed blueberries with Arthur and tell him about the broken pipe they fixed to make the hot springs, warning him not to touch the pipe in case it floods the compound. They are surprised that Arthur’s never kissed a girl, and one of the women kisses him. They ask him about his first kiss with a man.

Arthur was in college when he first kissed a boy; he had recently come to terms with his sexuality and met a group of boys who were also in the beginning stages of figuring out their gay identity. He and his friend Reilly kissed at a party, then Reilly immediately threw up. Arthur tried reaching out to Reilly afterward, but Reilly never spoke to him again. Arthur went through a series of first dates with men who weren’t kind to him. Robert was the first man to be loving and Arthur found himself in a relationship with him: “Robert was not young. And by the time the relationship was over, fifteen years later, neither was Arthur Less. Let us admit Less never had what he wanted—will never have what he wanted. Will never be young with someone and in love” (91).

Arthur wakes up in the middle of the night and realizes he forgot to call Freddy. He ponders the night sky above him, the stars, and the unknowability of the universe. Arthur realizes something is wrong. He’s woken up on the Universal Appreciation Platform, and as he looks out, he sees that Ambrogio has become a lake. Arthur is expelled from Ambrogio for tampering with the broken pipe and the water system, flooding the commune.

Arthur and Mandern restart their drive. Arthur is anxious to get Mandern to the event in Santa Fe and complete the profile, but Mandern instructs him to drive toward Navajo Nation. He asks Arthur if he would forgive his father, if Lawrence came out of nowhere and asked. Mandern wants his daughter to forgive him. Arthur’s agent calls to let him know that he needs to be in Louisiana on Tuesday for the staging of one of his short stories. An anonymous donor has just given money to ensure Arthur’s attendance.

A Navajo guide named Delbert brings Mandern and Arthur down the canyon on donkeys. They reach a trailer, where Mandern finds his daughter Lacey. Arthur receives a text from his father, who says he’s excited to see Arthur in the South and support Arthur’s literary endeavors. As Arthur and Mandern roll into Santa Fe, they agree that being a writer is worth the pain.

At the convention center for Mandern’s event, Mandern tells Arthur to take the camper van on his travels. He asks that Arthur also bring Dolly so Dolly can have an adventure while Mandern returns to Palm Springs. Mandern is losing steam and panics about his health. However, he takes to the stage with a lot of energy and inspires the roaring crowd with his storytelling, reminding Arthur of Robert.