Summary

The novel opens in the present. Novelist Arthur Less is 49 years old. He is in the lobby of a New York hotel and is scheduled to interview a successful science fiction writer named H.H.H. Mandern that hour. Less is a literary writer whose career has been suffering in recent years. The narration describes him as “a desperate man” (8). New York is Arthur’s first stop on an international trip in which he plans to visit countries all over the world. The narration recalls Arthur’s friend and literary rival, Carlos Pelu. Carlos and Arthur both reside in San Francisco. When Arthur was about 40 years old, he began dating Carlos’ son, Federico “Freddy” Pelu, who is about 20 years younger than Arthur. They dated for nine years, but their relationship was casual; they both dated other people during that time. Freddy became a...