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

MEDIA REVIEWS
THE AMATEUR is a joyous novel with an unforgettable narrator who will break your heart. It is 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

Impossible to put down - GILLIAN McALLISTER

This sophisticated literary thriller scrutinises the peeling paint of picket-fence America - The Times

Dazzles as it devastates . . . turns over weighty subjects - sexual abuse, post-traumatic stress, familial dysfunction - with grace and wry humour. It’s a masterpiece - Publishers Weekly

It’s hard to think of any reason not to call this a perfect novel . . . Nabokov’s classic reinvented as a 1970s moral fable, with brilliantly developed characters and period detail. - Kirkus

Bohjalian demonstrates timely and empathic socially conscious bravery as he confronts the inherent imbalance of power in such situations and illuminates the devastating impact of such exploitation - Booklist

Effortless, emotional, gripping, and the most propulsive novel I've read in ages - Jenny Jackson, Stylist

A gripping read - The Northern Echo