"Originally published in 1953, Nathalie Sarraute's second novel explores a young man's obsessions with the hypocrisies and pretensions of the adult world. He becomes interested in Martereau, his uncle's devoted friend and business associate who seems like a trustworthy, benign, self-sufficient man until his possibly ulterior motives are partially exposed by his suspect behavior concerning a shady real-estate deal."--BOOK JACKET.