Jean Eyben

Jean is the narrator of the novel, which is meant to be read as a document he is writing by hand in his apartment in Paris when he is nearly 70. He grew up in Annecy and attended a boarding school. He came home during the weekends and summers, but no details are given about his family or home life. The only memory that he tells readers about is one of him going into town to watch a movie and getting out late at night after the buses stop running. Even in this memory, Jean is more of a spectator than a human character. He meets his friend, a boy named Daniel V, who talks him into taking a ride in a stolen car.

No details of his life at boarding school or his college experience are given. When he is in his early 20’s, he takes a...