A Man of Forty

THERE is a kind of mannered urbanity about Mr. Bullett’s story of adultery and murder which some readers may find unpleasant. But whether one likes the Style or not, his novel is written with a precision which makes it seem inevitable and the author an amused, Olympian observer. His central character, a retired English Civil Servant, a prey to middle-aged emotion, finds himself involved with dreadful, passionate forces which are ready and willing to destroy him. And, if the author seems to be aloof, he presents his characters and their drama with a suave clarity. Here is the situation. Draw your own conclusions.