A mesmerizing and darkly funny new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT and MIDWIVES '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

Details

ISBN13: 9781529996562
Format: Paperback / softback
Number of Pages: 336
Edition:
Publication Date: 18 Aug 2026
Publisher: Cornerstone
Publication City, Country: United Kingdom
Dimensions (cm): 21.6(H)x13.8(L)x2.5(W)338
Weight (gm): 338

Author Biography

Chris Bohjalian is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 25 books. His work has been translated into 35 languages and been adapted into three movies (MIDWIVES, SECRETS OF EDEN, and PAST THE BLEACHERS) and an Emmy-winning TV series (THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT). His novel MIDWIVES was a selection of Oprah's Book Club, and his novel, HOUR OF THE WITCH, was a Barnes & Noble Book Club pick. He lives in Vermont with his wife.

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
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 *