What I'm Reading: THE AMATEUR by Chris Bohjalian

A drama about the way one moment can change a life

One moment, one perfect swing, one tiny thread. That’s all it took to ruin many lives. When 18-year-old golf prodigy Mira Winston drives a golf ball through a practice net at her country club and kills her classmate working as a caddy, the repercussions shake the tony New York City suburb, exposing all of the misogyny and classism hidden in 1978 plain sight.

Bohjalian narrates the story from an older Mira, one who understands now the bad choices made and even worse situations she found herself in at such a young age. Young Mira is complicated, messy and so heartbreakingly naive just when she thinks she’s so wise.

There is an element of mystery here, as well aspects of a legal thriller, but the driving force (no pun intended) of the novel is Mira, a character whose life is set inexorably on a different course by one moment, one perfect swing, one tiny thread.

You don’t need to know golf, or even like it, to enjoy this novel. I found myself thinking about it long after I had finished it.

Thank you to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

THE AMATEUR is out Aug 4, 2026.