The Amateur

The New York Times bestseller

"A masterfully executed ace" — Guardian

"Sophisticated... scrutinises the peeling paint of picket-fence America" — The Times

"Sharply funny, beautifully told and so moving on the way life can upend itself in a single moment. I adored it" — Clare Leslie Hall, author of Broken Country

"Effortless, emotional, gripping. The most propulsive novel I've read in ages" — Jenny Jackson, author of Pineapple Street, Stylist

"Impossible to put down" — Gillian McAllister, author of Wrong Place Wrong Time

1978. In the sleepy New York suburb of Tallmadge, eighteen-year-old Mira Winston is beguiling, talented, and full of youthful recklessness. She spends her summer perfecting her swing at her parents' country club – and continuing her long-running affair with her father's golf buddy, a married man twice her age.

Then, one August afternoon, a freak accident occurs, and Mira's classmate Kenny is killed. In the days and years that follow, the events of that day become inextricably tied to the choices she has made – with devastating, unpredictable consequences for her family, her neighbours and friends, and Mira herself.

She is forced to ask: what happens when one small moment – the swing of a golf club, a stolen kiss, a hastily written note – changes the course of an entire life?

Mesmerizing and darkly funny, The Amateur unravels against a backdrop of white-picket-fenced streets, university dorm rooms, smoke-filled restaurants, and elegant country clubs. Turning a sharp eye to the American middle class, it is a hypnotic tale of power, morality, and the weight of blame.

Praise for Chris Bohjalian

"A terrific writer... I love all his books" — Harlan Coben

"Impossible to put down. Bohjalian just gets better and better" — Jodi Picoult

"A real page-turner" — Diana Gabaldon

"Everything Bohjalian writes is addictive" — New York Post

"One of our finest storytellers" — Boston Globe

"Twists the tension tight and keeps the surprises startling" — Wall Street Journal