From the No.1 New York Times bestselling author of The Flight Attendant and Midwives
1978. In the sleepy New York suburb of Tallmadge, eighteen-year-old Mira Winston is beguiling, talented and full of youthful recklessness. She spends the summer perfecting her swing at her parents' country club — and continuing a long-running affair with her father's golf buddy, a married man more than twice her age.
Then, one August afternoon, a freak accident kills her classmate Kenny. In the days and years that follow, that afternoon becomes inseparable from every choice Mira has made, with consequences for her family, her neighbours and herself that nobody could have predicted.
What happens when one small moment — the swing of a club, a stolen kiss, a hastily written note — redirects an entire life? Mesmerising and darkly funny, The Amateur plays out against white-picket-fenced streets, dorm rooms, smoke-filled restaurants and elegant country clubs, turning a sharp eye on the American middle class in a hypnotic story about power, morality and the weight of blame.
About the author
Chris Bohjalian is the No.1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-six books, including The Jackal's Mistress, The Lioness, Hour of the Witch, Midwives and The Flight Attendant, which became an Emmy-winning limited series. His work has been translated into 35 languages. He lives in Vermont.
Edition details
- Hutchinson Heinemann trade paperback, 336 pages
- Published 18 August 2026
