The Amateur

by Chris Bohjalian

When a young woman, a golf prodigy, accidentally kills a caddy with a stray ball at the country club, the investigation of this freak accident reveals a dark and shocking tale of secret affairs, predatory men, and a teenager on trial in this spellbinding novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Flight Attendant.

1978: It is the first Thursday in August and temperatures are flirting with ninety when Mira Winston, eighteen years old, drives a practice ball from her tee with a wooden club. The golf ball, weighing 1.6 ounces, tears through the net, travels 150 miles per hour for fifteen yards and slams, with sickening force, into the forehead of a high school junior named Kenny Foster, causing a traumatic rupture in the frontal lobe of his brain. Kenny brings his right hand to his forehead, then topples to his side. He is dead before the ambulance even arrives.

In the wake of this terrible accident—and everyone, at first, agrees it was an accident—Mira looks for comfort in all the wrong places: In her lover, Theo Catton, a married man forty years her senior. In her mother, a well-kept woman with secrets of her own. In the dead caddy’s little sisters, girls bewildered by grief. But when Henry Fallows, the golf pro, looks more closely at the torn net, when the detective investigating the case recalls Mira’s history of recklessness, and when Kenny’s father spies Mira with her married lover, the affluent and mannered community turns on this once promising young woman. A gripping story that takes the reader from the sun-soaked greens of a tony Westchester country club to the fluorescent-lit stand of a district courtroom, The Amateur What happens when one small moment—a swing, a ball, a piece of string—changes the course of an entire life?

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Historical Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Adult

336 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication August 4, 2026

About the author

Chris Bohjalian is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 26 books. His new novel, THE AMATEUR, arrives on August 4, 2026. He writes literary fiction, historical fiction, thrillers, and (on occasion) ghost stories. His goal is never to write the same book twice. He has published somewhere in the neighborhood of 3.7 million words.

His work has been translated into 35 languages and become three movies (MIDWIVES, SECRETS OF EDEN, and PAST THE BLEACHERS) and an Emmy-winning TV series (THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT). He has two other novels in development for TV series as well.

He is also a playwright, including THE CLUB in 2024; MIDWIVES in 2020; and GROUNDED (now WINGSPAN) in 2018.

His books have been chosen as Best Books of the Year by the Washington Post, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Hartford Courant, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, Bookpage, and Salon.

His awards include the Walter Cerf Medal for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts; the Sarah Josefa Hale Award; the ANCA Freedom Award for his work educating Americans about the Armenian Genocide; the ANCA Arts and Letters Award for THE SANDCASTLE GIRLS, as well as the Saint Mesrob Mashdots Medal; the New England Society Book Award for THE NIGHT STRANGERS; the New England Book Award; Russia’s Soglasie (Concord) Award for THE SANDCASTLE GIRLS; a Boston Public Library Literary Light; a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for TRANS-SISTER RADIO; a Best Lifestyle Column for “Idyll Banter” from the Vermont Press Association; and the Anahid Literary Award. His short story, SLOT MACHINE FEVER DREAMS was a finalist for Best Short Story from the International Thriller Writers Association and the audio production was an Audie Finalist. His novel, MIDWVES was a selection of Oprah’s Book Club, and his novel, HOUR OF THE WITCH, was a Barnes & Noble Book Club pick. He is a Fellow of the Vermont Academy of Arts and Sciences.

He has written for a wide variety of magazines and newspapers, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Cosmopolitan, Reader’s Digest, and The Boston Globe Sunday Magazine. He was a weekly columnist in Vermont for The Burlington Free Press from 1992 through 2015.

Chris graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude from Amherst College. He has been awarded Honorary Degrees as well from Amherst, Champlain College, and Castleton University.

He lives in Vermont with his wife, the photographer Victoria Blewer.

Reviews

[Dawn H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never in my life did I think I would love a book about an unlikable teenage golfer but I was completely wrong. This book is fantastic! The author has created a story about a spoiled girl from a wealthy family and the reader actually cares deeply about her.

Mira, an 18 year old golf prodigy, drives practice balls at the country club she has played golf at since she was a child. One golf ball goes through the practice net and accidentally strikes a teenage caddy in the head killing him. This tragedy reveals secrets that destroy Mira’s life.

The Amateur is an outstanding, well written, thought provoking novel. One doesn’t need to play golf or even understand the game in order to enjoy this book. Highly recommend to readers everywhere. It’s a winner.

Thanks to Netgalley and Doubleday Books for the eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a longtime Chris Bohjalian fan, so it was no surprise that I was instantly hooked with this story of a young woman who accidentally killed a caddy while hitting balls at a golf course. However, two things about this multifaceted story did surprise me. First, that the author was somehow skilled at telling a story centered around a golf prodigy, and that such a story was somehow captivating to a person like myself, who has absolutely no interest (or basic knowledge) in the area of golf. Don’t let the premise or the description of this novel fool you— it is so much more than just a golf story. The reader quickly discovers that the golf course is merely the backdrop for the incident that shapes the story, which already began to unfold before the incident occurred, as Mira grew up in this small and somewhat exclusive community..

The real story lies in the heartbreaking but somehow relatable series of events that the main character, Mira, experiences in her formative years as a young woman who is planning to enter college before her life gets derailed. Which brings me to my second surprise: Chris Bohjalian is somehow incredibly skilled at writing from the voice of a young woman. There is an art to this, as your stereotypical country club brat is not typically the most likable individual. But just like the multi-layered story, there are layers to our protagonist, and the reader quickly discovers that she’s got issues and she’s been taken advantage of and she’s not just an entitled golf star.

As with the best mysteries, we are thrown a shocking turn of events, but not before we begin to understand Mira more deeply. This is a story of suspense, but there are other themes at play through the entirety of the novel, which are difficult to touch on without spoiling some of the best parts. Just know that this is the 70s, and times, they were different.

I recommend this novel to readers who enjoy crime and suspense fiction works, And if you’re like me and don’t particularly care for golf, don’t let that discourage you from giving this book a chance. It’s so much more than what it may appear. Just like Mira. If you’re like me, it will have you thinking about how a single brief moment in time can completely change one’s life, for good or for bad. And how every action has an equal and opposite reaction,

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this novel in advance of its publication

[Lydia Hephzibah · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25

setting: new York
rep: n/a

this is one of those odd times where I take ages to read a book because when I'm reading it I'm loving it, but when I'm not reading it I don't feel much need to pick it up, but then I do and it's great again. I don't know why. but I did really enjoy this one. Mira was a surprisingly well-written protagonist both as a 17-year-old girl and the 50-something woman writing her memoir considering the author is a man, which I usually find icky. he did good though, so I'll let him off! I enjoyed Mira's voice and I do often enjoy a fictional memoir/biography!

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's the summer of 1978, and Mira Winston is a golf prodigy, soon to head to Yale to play golf, when she hits a ball into a practice net that goes through the net and into the temple of a caddie, killing him. Mira is a complicated character, not very likable, hot tempered, privileged, and sleeping with a much older married man. The novel is written as the memoir of an adult Mira, now an author, and seemingly without a reason to lie. As what at first seems like a freak accident progresses to a search for blame and for accountability, Mira finds herself involved in the civil case against the country club and the net manufacturer, and then accused of manslaughter. Bohjalian skillfully portrays late 1970s attitudes towards women, drinking, and drugs, explores the fault lines of class in the affluent suburb where Mira lives, and the effect of one moment on the lives involved. A propulsive read with a masterly twist. I couldn't put it down

[Michelle San Antonio · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never miss a Chris Bohjalian novel, and this one illustrates perfectly why I love his work so much. It is a suspenseful thriller that also explores so many complex themes and delves so deeply into the workings of the main character's mind as she recounts her story to us. We're introduced to Mira as a middle-aged woman who is writing her memoir, dealing with the tragedy that occurred when she was just a teenager, and she hit a golf ball into the head of a teenage caddy, who died almost instantly. Mira's life begins a slow unraveling from that moment on, and the suspense builds, as we learn about some reckless behavior from her past, including a relationship with a much older married man. It's a very intriguing story about how a single moment can change your life trajectory in ways you could never have imagined.

[Craig Elliott Jr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chris Bohjalian has done it again! I never thought golf could be interesting but Chris made it so. Throw in death, a mystery, an unreliable narrator and you've got a hell of a story. Whether Chris is writing historical stories or thrillers, he takes us on an incredible journey. Highly recommend and I hope to see this book in lots of beach totes this Summer. Perfect beach read!

[Jamie Rosenblit · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been reading Chris Bohjalian's work for close to two decades and I can confidently say that The Amateur is probably my favorite as of yet - set in a posh area of Westchester in the late 70s, I loved reading this story about a talented female golfer and how that gets washed away in the face of tragedy.

Thank you to Knopf for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

[Caitlin Rydberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Netgalley advanced review

I am going to start off saying I am a big fan of this author. But even I am surprised he made me believe the book was written by a female. It is not by any means the first book of his from a female POV. But the first time he made me forget it was his words.

Mira Winston is not an easily understood or likable main character. She’s complex and completely unpredictable. She is a teenage girl who makes horrible choices.

Yet the entire time you find yourself rooting for her. This is not a typical coming of age story. I even have a hard time saying you could characterize this book as such. However you do see her grow and develop as a person coming into adulthood.

Chris Bohjalian as always holds back nothing from his book. Please check triggers. As always he fills you with hope and dread at the same time. The story is a legal thriller with a wonderful Legally Blonde type twist. But there’s also real dialogue about mental health and gender/working classes in the 1970’s or lack there of. Please take care of yourself.

As always I’m looking forward to having a copy on my shelf.

[chloe - crimewithchlo · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up to 4!

this was such a unique story! i can honestly say i’ve never read anything like it.

first of all, i loved mira. she felt so real to me. the way she thought, reacted, & spiraled, reminded me so much of myself in high school. chris bohjalian absolutely nailed her voice. i think he did a really great job writing from a teenage female POV, which isn’t always easy to pull off. overall it held my attention and felt fresh.

the entire premise hinges on one horribly unfortunate golf ball accident, and the fallout from that moment is what really drives the story. it’s less about the swing itself and more about reputation, blame, and how fast a young woman can become the center of scrutiny.

huge thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Don Kyser · Rating 4 out of 5]

So really a 3.5 but I’m going to give Chris Bohjalian the benefit of the doubt and round up. The writing is very sharp and quick but I just didn’t find it very engaging until close to the end - especially the epilogue.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can't go wrong with a Chris Bohjalian novel. I have read all but two of them and liked every one, loved most. His latest, THE AMATEUR, is no exception, although it is one of the few that I didn't love.

I have found over the years that better writers do not resort to an abundance of sex or the F word. So at first this novel turned me off. It was full of sex and the F word, so unlike Bohjalian. But I understand now his intention: he was establishing the character of the story's narrator.

THE AMATEUR is written as if this is Mira's memoir. As a teenager she was a golf prodigy and often golfed with a team of grown men (and was the highest scorer). In her memoir, she establishes right away that she was not a good girl; she was attracted to much older men, had sex with them since she was 15 years old, did lots of drugs, and used the F word in many of her sentences.

Mira is now an established and widely read author of novels. (And it sounds like Bohjalian is giving her credit for some of his own novels, although I'd like to know more about a novel he mentions called MORAL COMPASS.) Now that she is in her 60s, she says, she is finally ready to write a memoir and admit to two things she has felt guilty about her whole life: she killed a caddy and she broke up a family (her words).

In 1978 Mira was 18. She was at her family's country club one day putting golf balls into a net. A 17-year-old caddy just happened to be walking in front of the net when one of her golf balls sailed right through it, hitting him in the head and killing him. Although, of course, this was not Mira's fault, she felt like she killed him for the rest of her life. For a while there, so did the police and the DA.

Plus, Mira's attraction to older men got her in some trouble. But it actually wasn't as bad as it might've been if her parents and the law were aware that her current affair had been going on since she was 15 years old. What made her feel bad, though, was that a wife and two children lost a husband and father as a result. Mira continued finding older but unmarried men to sleep with.

Read this for the criminal trial and the surprise ending.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for an advance copy of this novel set in the far off days of the 1970's about a young woman, a simple act of play, and what happens next, as things just keep spiraling out of control.

The band Pink Floyd has a song on one of their later albums, some time after this novel takes place in fact with the line, "One slip and down the hole we fall." This slip can happen in many ways. A slip of the tongue. A slip of the hand. Even a slip of a net not doing its job, allowing something to escape that should have been caught. Slips can mess up lives, even end them. Sometimes it is hard to assign blame. Accidents do happen. However emotions to make humans want to have answers. Even if the answers are to punish, what instead should just be forgiven. The Amateur is a novel by Chris Bohjalian about a simple day like so many others, except for the accident that ruins the lives of so many people, a simple slip of fate.

The time is 1978, at a exclusive Westchester county club, full of big money, big egos and lots of people, some with power, and some with secrets. In Mira Winston's case she is all of this and very talented. At the age of 18 Mira is a very talented golfer, with a powerful swing, and a lot of future potential. On this day as the temperature gets close to the nineties, Mira takes a few practice swings, and sets her golf ball flying from the tee, toward the protective net by the caddy shack. Which fails to stop the ball, and hitting a young junior in her high school right in the temple, killing him. Everyone knows this is an accident, a twist of fate some would say. However Mira has a bit of reputation, at least to the detective investigating the accident. Mira tries to find solace, but really has nobody. She has a boyfriend, a married, man thirty years older than her. Mira's father is not a help, seemingly detached for numerous reasons, nor her mother, who has secrets of her own. Things escalate quickly and a simple golf swing turns in the crime of the century, with Mira on trial for not just her swing, but for being who she is.

Chris Bohjalian is a writer who never stays in a lane, constantly creating art that is different than what came last. Family dramas, spy stories, mysteries, historical fiction. Bohjalian has a gift for creating characters, and in this one he really goes all out, and tries something new. The characters in this book are hard to like. Really hard to like. However, Bohjalian still makes one care for where the story is going, and how things are going to end. Bohjalian has really captured a time and a place, a hot day in Westchester, and the people who live in this town. This book pretty much starts quickly, and just keeps going. Bohjalian can balance the different parts of the story, and keeps the narrative interesting, and again, leaving one wanting to know what he has planned. Something I must admit I was not sure of until the book was near the end.

Another great book from an author who really works hard not to be categorized. Bohjalian is one of the few bestselling authors people can say, I have no idea what his next book will be. However, one can be sure that it will be quite good, like this one.

[Lori L (She Treads Softly) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Amateur by Chris Bohjalian is a highly recommended literary domestic drama and coming-of-age story following an accidental death.

In August of 1978 at the Tallmadge Country Club in Westchester County, N.Y., a small tear in the practice netting allowed a golf ball going 140-150 mph to rip through the netting and slam into the right side of the head of 17-year-old caddy Kenneth Foster causing an epidural hematoma and death. Mira Winston, an 18-year-old LPGA hopeful, was the one responsible for driving the ball that accidentally hit Kenny into the practice netting. While everyone initially agrees it was an accident, Mira is shaken to the core by the death and decides she will not be going on to attend Yale in a few weeks. In fact, Mira also never plays golf again. She is also having an affair that started when she was 15-years-old with a 47-year-old married man Theo Catton during this time

The novel is written in the form of a candid memoir by Mira as an adult looking back at that time of her life. She talks about her affairs with older men, and her mother's affair. She discusses what happens when Kenny's father discovered her affair with Theo and then told her parents. She claimed it started when she was already 18, but looking back now it is clear she was a victim. Mira honestly shares about her drug use, trying to escape reality. The news of the affair gets out and everyone seems to turn against Mira. Mira is eventually part of the civil case over Kenny's death.

Mira is an aggressively complicated and disagreeable character. It is extremely difficult to like her. She was being taken advantage of and abused by a predatory man whether she realizes it or not. In the novel she is currently an adult and author of over 25 books who is now looking back at events that happened many years ago. The narrative covers self-destructive behavior, a trial, abuse, post-traumatic stress, familial dysfunction, self-medication, and self-doubt.

While the quality of the writing is exceptional, I'll admit while I was reading the novel was rated lower. The plot is a more even-paced character study, and Mira is an unlikable character throughout the novel. The focus on her affair didn't exactly ring true to what a teen girl would be thinking and feeling, so, in my opinion, you can easily tell a man wrote this story during certain scenes/descriptions. What raised my rating was the final denouement and the epilogue in this morally complex narrative.

The Amateur is a good choice for readers interested in a literary coming-of-age tale following a complicated, unlikable main character. Thanks to Knopf Doubleday for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2026/0...

[HalKid2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE AMATEUR is a young woman's coming-of-age story by talented writer Chris Bohjalian, one of my favorites. Taking place in the late 1970s, it's a story of how a single accident can drastically change the lives of so many.

18 year old Mira Winston is an attractive, smart high school senior looking forward to starting Yale University in the fall. She lives in a small but privileged town outside New York City, where her she spends her free time practicing golf swings at the local country club. Everyone in town expects Mira will one day become one of the sport's champions.

But the confidence Mira projects doesn't fully reflect her internal reality. Feeling less seen that her successful older brother and desperate for her father's approval, Mira finds herself drawn to both predatory older men and to illegal substances - in order to cope with the pressures and difficulties she encounters.

Then, one afternoon, there's a freak accident. An errant golf ball aimed at a net passes through that net, hitting and killing a high school student working as a weekend caddy. Surely someone must pay for such a tragedy! But who is responsible? The country club for placing the net in an unsafe location? The golf pro for removing a target that compromised the integrity of the net? The manufacturer of the net? Or Mira because she hit the ball? And in searching for answers, what role will social class and privilege play?

The struggle to find a culprit changes everyone and everything in town. And forces Mira and her family into an unexpected social and legal morass. THE AMATEUR is a fast-moving story, with lots of twists and turns, that exposes and examines just how vulnerable we human beings are. Plans, expectations, and dreams can disappear in an instant. Even people not directly involved in an unexpected event can feel the impact on the most mundane daily activities.

Bohjalian has crafted an unusual voice in this novel. Mira Winston is the narrator, relating her own teen story, but from the perspective of middle age. So, as readers, we get to experience both how Mira feels as a young woman navigating events AND how her perspective shifts when she ages. All the while retaining the same sardonic humor.

While I often find male authors have trouble creating a believable voice for female protagonists, I mostly felt Bohjalian did a credible character with Mira. There were only a few places (related to sexual activity) where I felt Mira's voice sounded male.

Be aware there are some difficult themes included: drugs, infidelity, sexual predators, grief, alcoholism, and suicide. But also friendship, love, and familial support. Like all the other novels I've read by Bohjalian, this is well worth your time. It's an intriguing plot and a well-crafted narrative.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Bohjalian’s books are hit or miss for me (case in point: I have an ARC of The Jackal’s Mistress that I still haven’t read!). I’m usually more intrigued by the concept than the actual story. Usually the scope expands to the point that the original story I was interested in hearing gets lost in the shuffle (or in the case of Hour of the Witch, only shows up in the last 30 pages). This novel has a much narrower, almost claustrophobic scope - it’s definitely a slow burn character study.

The titular amateur is Mira Winston, a Yale-bound high school senior with hopes of playing in the LPGA. One day she’s practicing on the driving range and, in a complete freak accident, drives the ball completely through the net, where it hits one of the caddies in the head and kills him. It’s clearly not intentional, but it sets off a string of events as the club, the net company, and Kenny the caddy’s parents try to determine who IS to blame for this kid’s death.

The conceit is that this book is a memoir by adult Mira, by now a successful author herself (most of the books she describes sound like Bohjalian’s own novels - it’s weirdly meta in a way I didn’t care for). She’s looking back at the self-destructive teenager she once was and spotting all the ways things could have broken differently for her. At the time, she convinced herself that Kenny’s death was somehow HER punishment for sleeping with a 40-something married man. And she also has a history of being reactive and prone to violence, having once taken a golf club to a classmate’s windshield (in Mira’s defense, the dude assaulted her). So once the course pro starts examining the net and thinking back on Mira’s prior tantrum about the net having a built-in target (which was NOT there the day Kenny was killed), everything starts to look pretty bleak. And the case she kept being assured would “never make it to trial” no longer looks so open and shut.

It’s an interesting character study, how quickly the town turns on Mira after her affair with Theo comes to light (thanks to none other than Kenny’s father, who spotted them at a hotel). And how even though we KNOW Mira didn’t do it on purpose, she can still be held criminally liable for this kid’s death, and how that can lead a person to spiral. It’s not really a mystery (though we do eventually learn what happened to the target), but a tightly focused character study of how one small moment can have a devastating ripple effect.

[Bonny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chris Bohjalian has a gift for taking a single catastrophic moment and exploring the shockwaves that ripple outward, and The Amateur is one of his strongest character studies.

The novel opens with an accident so horrifying that it's impossible to look away: eighteen-year-old golf prodigy Mira Winston hits a practice ball through a damaged net, killing a teenage caddy. From there, the story becomes part courtroom drama, part mystery, but mostly an examination of guilt, privilege, responsibility, and the stories we tell ourselves about the people involved in tragedy.

What impressed me most was Bohjalian's portrayal of Mira. He (as a 63-year-old male) does an excellent job writing an eighteen-year-old female golf prodigy. Mira is not an especially likable character; she's impulsive, selfish at times, and makes some truly questionable decisions but she never felt like a caricature of a spoiled rich girl. Instead, she came across to me as a complicated young woman who has had remarkably poor role models and very little meaningful guidance. That complexity made me care about what happened to her, even when I didn't approve of her choices.

I also appreciated that you don't have to play golf (or even understand the game, as I certainly don't) to become completely immersed in the story. Bohjalian explains just enough without ever bogging the narrative down, and the country club setting becomes its own fascinating world.

Although there's a trial and an intriguing mystery surrounding the damaged practice net, I found myself reading less for the "big reveal" and more because I wanted to know what would become of Mira. These days, surprise endings often feel overhyped, and for me, the emotional journey mattered far more than uncovering every last secret.

The ending and especially the epilogue elevate the novel even further, forcing readers to reconsider who the real villains are. Was it recklessness? Negligence? Privilege? The adults who failed Mira? Or is assigning blame itself more complicated than we'd like it to be? Bohjalian leaves readers with questions rather than easy answers, and I found that far more satisfying.

"You took advantage of my disadvantage." ~ Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov

A compelling, nuanced novel about one terrible swing of a golf club and the lives forever altered by it. This was 4.5 stars for me, rounded up. Thank you to Edelweiss and Doubleday for providing me with a copy of this book. It will be published on August 4, 2026.

[PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps · Rating 5 out of 5]

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of THE AMATEUR by Chris Bohjalian in exchange for my honest review.***

4.5 STARS

I always feel like I’ve won an ARC lottery when I’m allowed early access to one of Chris Bohjalian’s novels. That THE AMATEUR turned out to be one of my favorites of his is an extra bonus. So why 4.5 stars instead of 5, I’ll address that later in the review.

Amateur tennis prodigy Mira can also be described as a professional train wreck. Both victim and victor, perpetrator and prey, Mira suffers consequences that most teenagers escape. In the late 1970s-early 1980s, I was a few years younger than Mira. I experienced the days when teenage girls were blamed for their married adult (what we’d now call) statutory rapists actions. Girls, even the prepubescent, were seen as temptresses to “helpless” men. They were (what now call) slut shamed.

When Mira takes a golf club to her attempted date rapist’s car, she never thinks to explain her motivations and even allows misinformation about her reasons to persist.

After accidentally killing a caddy with a well-hit golf ball, Mira spirals into a series of self-destructive relationships and behaviors.

I can’t stress how much I loved Mira’s story and hate that all my comments can’t reflect that. I became distracted when Bohjalian mixed present day knowledge with 1978 knowledge. The premise of THE AMATEUR is that it’s the memoir of a best seller writer’s experience in her young adulthood, which she’s writing in 2026, so some of the modern references like Wordle used in a metaphor are explained that way. My distraction came when facts unknown in 1978 were attributed to that time period. The most disruptive was that in 1978, recent a high school graduate would know that brain development continues into the 20s and the frontal lobe isn’t fully developed in teenage years. Scientists didn’t know this, until studies in the 1990s early 2000s. I’m probably being overly picky, but as a child psychologist and someone who’s studied child development, I was distracted. If Mira as a mature adult in 2026 was opining, I wouldn’t have been. The confusion between Mira’s feelings in 1978 and 2026 appeared other times and distracted me enough to not say 5 full stars.

Again, I loved THE AMATEUR.

[C.J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️¼ (4.25/5)

Content note: This book deals with addiction, sexual exploitation of a minor, and suicidal ideation. These themes are handled with care, but they are present, and they are heavy.

Chris Bohjalian has always understood that the most dangerous courtroom in America is public opinion — and The Amateur is his sharpest dissection of that truth yet. The inciting incident is genuinely accidental by any reasonable legal standard: a freak equipment failure, a tragedy no reasonable person could have predicted or prevented. What follows is not a mystery about what happened. It is an audit of why the system decides to punish anyway.

As a former criminal defense private investigator, I want to be precise: the DA's case is weak. Circumstantial, contaminated, and driven by external pressures unrelated to the actual evidence.

Bohjalian gets the architecture of a bad prosecution exactly right — the way a narrative can harden into prosecutorial strategy, the way personal vendettas find institutional cover. The legal mechanics here are not window dressing. They are the engine.

The structural choice to write primarily in first person with regular shifts into second — Mira addressing the reader directly, deposing them, treating them as jury — should feel like a device. It never does. It earns its place on every page it appears. And the framing matters: Mira is already an accomplished novelist by the time she tells this story. What reads as memoir is something closer to a confessional — testimony filtered through craft, through survival, through the particular clarity that only comes after you have lived through something and finally found language for it.

A note on the "unlikable protagonist" conversation surrounding this book: I don't follow it. Mira is a teenager carrying exploitation, addiction, public humiliation, and grief simultaneously. Whatever struggles she has going in, they are made categorically worse by the adults and systems surrounding her throughout this story. Expecting likability under those circumstances is the wrong metric entirely.

The courtroom resolution lands with the weight of inevitability rather than of engineering.

[Mark Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Amateur is a slow-burn character study centered on Mira Winston, a Yale-bound high school senior and aspiring LPGA golfer whose life unravels after a freak accident on the driving range – a wayward shot tears through a net and kills a caddy. It's clearly not intentional, but that doesn't stop the club, the net manufacturer, and the dead boy's family from circling for someone to blame. The story is told as a memoir by adult Mira, now a successful author looking back at the self-destructive teenager she once was, which gives the whole thing a reflective, almost mournful quality.

This is an odd structure for a book. Bohjalian is certainly up to the task, and I truly enjoyed the story. But I sometimes found the asides jarring – where the fictional novelist is talking directly to the reader. It wasn’t something that took me out of the story. But I would have preferred they not be there.

What makes it compelling is how quickly everything snowballs. Mira's secret affair with a much older married man comes to light at the worst possible moment, and her history of reactive behavior (she took a golf club to a classmate’s car – for a legitimate reason) starts to color how everyone sees her. Even though you never doubt she didn't mean for any of this to happen, Bohjalian does a great job showing how easily intent gets buried under circumstance and reputation.

Mira, as a much older and wiser narrator, never defends her behavior and takes responsibility for her recklessness. She seems bemused at her younger self at times. I’m a big fan of Bohjalian. This isn’t my favorite of his books, but it is a great read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 ⭐️

To all my fellow golfers, this mystery thriller might be one you’ll want to add to your TBR. The Amateur was an intriguing and unexpected read for me. I’ve previously read The Flight Attendant and really enjoyed it, so I was already familiar with Chris Bohjalian’s writing style and knew I would like it. However, this one drew me in for a completely different reason.

The Flight Attendant is a fast-paced, twisty thriller driven by high-stakes suspense, while The Amateur is a slower, more psychological story that focuses on character, moral complexity, and the emotional impact of one tragic moment. Both are gripping, but one is adrenaline-fueled and the other is quietly unsettling.

What initially had my attention was the golf angle. As someone who was a competitive golfer in my adolescence, I was immediately curious about how the sport would be woven into a psychological thriller. The opening incident is simple but chilling, and from there the story spirals into something much darker, more layered, and emotionally complex than I anticipated.

Bohjalian does a good job exploring how one tragic moment can unravel an entire community. The story feels tense and uncomfortable in the best way, digging into privilege, secrets, grief, and how quickly public perception can shift. Although this at first had my undivided attention, there were moments in the story when I found my mind wandering.

All said, this wasn’t a fast, twist-every-chapter kind of thriller, but more of a slow-burning, character-driven psychological drama, and I really appreciated that. It felt thoughtful, unsettling, and very human.

Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the advance copy in exchange for my honest feedback.

[Stacey Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve long admired Chris Bohjalian’s ability to pull readers into complicated moral terrain, and The Amateur is certainly no exception — though it’s a very different kind of novel than I expected.

Written as a fictional memoir and set in the 1970s, the story centers on Mira, a young woman whose life changes irrevocably when she accidentally drives a golf ball into a caddy, killing him. From that shocking moment forward, the novel becomes less about suspense and more about consequence — emotional, social, and deeply personal.
This is not, in my opinion, much of a thriller. Instead, it’s an in-depth character study of a young woman in crisis, navigating guilt, scrutiny, and the immense influence of powerful people surrounding her. Bohjalian explores how Mira is treated — and judged — within the cultural confines of the 1970s, where reputation, gender expectations, and influence carry enormous weight. Watching her grapple with what happened, and with how others shape the narrative of her life, is both unsettling and compelling.

There is a mystery element that slowly comes to light, but the real heart of the novel lies in its psychological depth. Bohjalian can write — that’s never in question. He has a way of drawing you in and wrapping you up in a story, even when it’s not your favorite of his works.

The Amateur wasn’t my favorite by this author, but it’s an interesting, layered exploration of accountability, power, and a young woman trying to survive an impossible situation in a very different era.

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. Of course, all opinions are mine.

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mira Winston is 18 years old in August 1978, a golf prodigy with her future at Yale on the horizon, when a golf ball she hits at her country club's practice tee tears through the net and kills a caddy, Kenny Foster, a young man who had recently moved to Westchester with his parents and two younger sisters from Florida. The book is told from Mira's perspective, as a memoir that she is writing in present day about that summer and how it changed the course of her life, as a well to do young woman in a wealthy suburb of NYC carrying on an affair with a much older man and planning to become a gold pro on the LPGA tour.
Initially Mira presents herself as relatively unlikable, sustaining herself with weed and cocaine, and in possession of an impulsive and destructive anger in the past that doesn't out her on the right side of the police officers in Westchester when the incident leading to Kenny's death happens. As the book moves forward and as I got to know Mira as a person, I found myself won over to her, as she is clearly guilt ridden, and attempting to learn from her mistakes on both the golf course and in her day-to-day life. The book reads very realistically like a woman is the author, so certainly major props to Chris Bohjalian for adeptly tapping into that feminine perspective, in addition to getting us a flawed, multi-dimensional character in Mira. Not only is this a coming-of-age book, but what exactly caused her ball to tear through the net and who is truly at fault for Kenny's death kept me engaged through to the end of this very enjoyable book.
Thank you to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review.

[Jo Dervan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Amateur
Mira was phenomenal golfer in a small suburban town in Westchester NY. Her affluent family belonged to a local country club where she played regularly. She was 18 and headed for Yale that fall. Then one morning one of her the golf practice shot she made killed Kenny, one of the younger caddies.
That event upended her life and exposed all of her secrets. She had been having an affair with an older man since she was 15. She had car accident because of drugs. After a classmate spread false rumors about a sexual adventure they had, she took a tire iron to the windshield of his car.
At first the death seemed to be accidental but evidence against Mira piled up. Everyone in the small town learned the sordid details of her affair. She became a pariah.

She had a case of PTSD and skipped her freshman year at a Yale to work & live in NYC. There her life spiraled into a pattern of alcohol and drug use. Then after a suicide attempt, she returned home where she was formally charged with Kenny’s death. Finally a criminal trial resulted in a surprising admission.
This story deals with privilege and class distinction. Mira had all the advantages of an upper middle class suburban teen. Kenny, the boy who died, came from a local family who were not affluent. She could afford golf club membership and expensive golf lessons while he had to caddy for spending money.
The reader may alternately hate and feel sorry for Mira in various parts of this fast paced book. However the story will keep the reader interested until the final chapter.
I received this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an interesting book!

Mira Winston is a teenage golf sensation, so much so that she's received a scholarship to Princeton to play golf. When a rogue ball breaks through the practice net at the driving range, it hits Kenny Foster in the temple, killing him almost instantly. In the wake of the tragedy, Mira's past mistakes come back to haunt her. A closer look at the accident brings into question whether it was an accident at all.

This book was written like an autobiography. It details Mira's life before and after the accident, the questionable choices that she makes because of her feelings of guilt, and how she copes with the aftermath of the tragedy. I loved Mira's voice, at once self-depreciating, but also humorous and raw. There were some very heavy topics in the novel - drug use, pedophilia, suicide, pretty strong sexual content - so readers should be aware of its content. However, I felt like it was a very real portrayal of a young woman whose life was irrevocably changed by one moment.

I am not a golfer and beyond my mad skills at putt-putt, I know nothing about the sport. There were places in the novel that I think would have been more impactful had I understood the basics of golf. It didn't necessarily take away from my enjoyment of the book, but I think there were things that would have made more sense to me.

Overall, 4 ⭐s.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for an advanced copy. It's scheduled to be published on August 4, 2026.

[Drea · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounded up. Heartfelt thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy.

Chris Bohjalian is one of those authors who can make almost any premise compelling, and somehow he even managed to pull me into a novel centered around golf. What begins as a tragic freak accident slowly opens into something much bigger involving privilege, class, recklessness, predatory relationships, and the way one single moment can completely derail a life. I also thought Bohjalian did an impressive job writing Mira’s voice both as a teenager and later as an older woman reflecting back on the events.

There were definitely aspects I enjoyed. The late 1970s setting felt vivid, the country club atmosphere worked well, and the novel raises interesting questions about blame, accountability, and how quickly public sympathy can shift. Mira is not always likable, but she’s complicated enough to keep the story engaging.

That said, this one ultimately didn’t fully work for me. The trial and investigation started to feel increasingly far-fetched and at times almost a little Scooby-Doo-esque in the way revelations unfolded. The story also felt somewhat repetitive in the middle sections, and I kept waiting for the tension to build toward something more emotionally or psychologically impactful. Instead, the ending felt a bit too neat and convenient considering how messy and layered the setup had been.

Even with my issues, I wanted to keep reading, and I can absolutely see why so many readers are connecting with this one.

[Castille · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Amateur is cleverly structured as a modern memoir written by Mira, an accomplished, yet deeply troubled, novelist finally ready to tell the story of her youth as a golf prodigy turned accidental murderer. What fascinated me most was not the plot, but the meta form: the moments when current day Mira breaks the fourth wall to address the reader directly, assuring us she’s a reliable narrator despite her flaws. That narrative device was, for me, more compelling than the mystery itself.

The central plot revolves around who vandalized the driving net-- the incident that allowed a golf ball to escape and unintentionally kill Kenny. I guessed the culprit and motivation early on, and this didn’t diminish my engagement. What did challenge my suspension of disbelief was the manslaughter case brought against Mira. It never felt fully believable, which undercut the emotional stakes for me.

One of the most impressive things about this book is Bohjalian’s skill at writing from a female point of view. I often find authors struggle to transcend their own experiences, but here the voice feels authentic without tipping into stereotype. I genuinely wasn’t sure whether Chris was male or female — and if that uncertainty says anything, it’s a testament to his talent with character voice.

Overall, The Amateur is an enjoyable thriller with a fresh narrative voice and intriguing structure, definitely one worth reading.

[Leisa Back Porch Pages · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨I’ve been reading Chris Bohjalian for years, and one of the most remarkable things about him is that he refuses to be confined to any one genre or style. You never quite know what you’re going to get, and you certainly never know where he’ll take you next. If you would have told me that in 2026 I’d be eagerly picking up a novel set in the world of golf, I would have laughed and said, “I think not.” But tell me it’s a Chris Bohjalian novel, and I’m all in before I even know another detail.  Once again, he absolutely delivered, and I was hooked from the first page to the last. 
 
✨I need to start by telling you that you don’t need to worry about the golf. I promise. I know absolutely nothing about golf, and I’m even less interested. Despite this, the author managed to fully captivate me in this utterly compelling story where golf is merely the backdrop. The real focus is the 1970s culture and its casual attitude toward drinking and drug use, its often demeaning treatment of women, and the underlying tensions of class in a wealthy, insular community – and above all how a single moment can set off a cascading chain of events that shatters the lives of everyone involved.
 
✨The ending left me with my jaw on the floor – and minutes later wiping tears from my eyes.  Masterful!
 
🌿Read if you like:
✨Courtroom drama
✨Literary suspense
✨#MeToo social commentary
✨Coming-of-age stories
✨Morally complicated characters
✨70s settings
✨Golf narratives

[Linda Grana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've met Chris Bohjalian a handful of times, and so I know for a fact—he is NOT a teenage girl golf prodigy. Yet I never once thought of him as anything but that in his latest novel "The Amateur". He completely puts us in the mind of a young girl, Mira, who witnesses the death of a fellow student at her own hands, as a ball she hits at the driving range goes through a protective net, striking a high school caddy in the side of the head, killing him almost instantly.
Chris is the master of the "slow burn novel", and as the story progresses, we experience along with Mira, the fallout from this one-in-a-million chance accident, and it's affect on her family, the surviving members of the boys family, and the entire community. Many factors come into play regarding Mira's past behavior and the condition of the net at the time of the accident—culminating in a heart-pounding legal drama. In spite of Mira's impulsiveness, and unpredictability—I felt a deep compassion for this young girl, a victim herself in that her life as she once knew it, was changed forever with this tragic event. Utterly suspenseful, and compulsively readable!
(On a side note: I found this book highly nostalgic in that I was the same age as Mira in 1978 when these events took place. Chris really captured that time period—its fashion, events, all of it. Well done!) 4.5 stars.
Many thanks to Doubleday for letting me be an early reader of "The Amateur".

[Laura Flavin]

“The Amateur is a tense, emotionally layered psychological thriller that explores the ripple effects of a single tragic accident and the hidden darkness beneath an affluent suburban world. Chris Bohjalian crafts a meticulously detailed narrative set in 1978, where a freak golf accident results in the death of a teenage caddy, unraveling a much deeper web of secrets, moral compromise, and buried truths. The novel blends courtroom drama, mystery, and character study into a story that is both unsettling and deeply absorbing.

What stood out most was the way the novel examines how quickly a community can turn on a young woman once seen as promising and talented. Mira Winston’s emotional isolation becomes the heart of the story, as she navigates grief, suspicion, and manipulation while being pulled into complicated and damaging relationships. The presence of powerful, older men, family secrets, and institutional protection creates an atmosphere of unease that slowly intensifies as the investigation unfolds. Bohjalian’s strength lies in balancing psychological depth with suspenseful pacing, allowing the story to move between intimate emotional moments and the broader courtroom and investigative pressure surrounding the case. The result is a haunting exploration of accountability, privilege, and the fragility of reputation. Elegant, suspenseful, and emotionally charged, The Amateur is the kind of novel that lingers in the reader’s mind long after the final page.”

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was Westchester, 1978. Mira was a senior in high school and a golf phenomenon. She was also having an affair with a forty two year old neighbor which began when she was fifteen. She was known for her temper, smoked a lot of weed, crashed her parent's car into a stop sign, and bashed her date's car window to pieces with a golf club when he tried to have sex with her. She was on track for Yale or perhaps, the LPGA golf tour when it happened. As Mira was hitting some practice balls into a net near the caddyshack, one slipped through and immediately killed classmate Kenny Foster. She never touched a golf club again.
Even though Kenny also lived in the exalted town of Talmadge, he and his family were definitely NOKD (not our kind, dear.) His dad drove a car painted with an advertisement for his company. Kenny's family had moved in recently, and while he was smart, he needed those caddy tips for college. His parents were inconsolable and out for blood. They decided to sue the golf club, the makers of the net, and Mira, for involuntary manslaughter. Not only would there be a civil suit, but a criminal suit wasn't out of the question-and Mira was no saint.
Bohjalian has set himself a big challenge-make an extremely unreliable and very unlikeable young woman the heroine of a novel. With so many strikes against Mira, the reader isn't sure what's going to happen to her or whether it's going to even matter. Does he succeed? Stick with this book to find out.