The Armenian Museum of America in Watertown, Mass. (Photo by Rosie Nisanyan)

WATERTOWN, Mass. — On Tuesday, Aug. 11, the Armenian Museum of America (AMA) hosted authors Chris Bohjalian and Nancy Kricorian in conversation about Bohjalian’s newest book, “The Amateur.”

Based in Vermont, Bohjalian is a New York Times bestselling author of 26 books. Several of his novels have been adapted for film and television, including “The Flight Attendant,” starring Kaley Cuoco. 

The evening began with welcoming remarks from AMA President Michele Kolligian and Executive Director Jason Sohigian.

Having launched several of his previous books at the museum, Bohjalian drew a large crowd. He was naturally funny and at ease in front of more than 125 fans, fellow authors and museum members.

“The Amateur” is set in the summer of 1978 and takes the form of a memoir by golf prodigy Mira Winston, who is on the verge of attending Yale University when she kills a caddie, Kenny Foster, with a stray ball. According to Bohjalian, “it’s a before and after story,” in which one moment changes your life so much that it forever divides it into a “before” and “after.”

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Leading the conversation with Bohjalian that evening was author Nancy Kricorian. Originally from Watertown, Kricorian has written poems, essays and novels, including “Zabelle,” “All the Light There Was,” and most recently, “The Burning Heart of the World.”

Kricorian proved an insightful interviewer, steering the conversation through discussions of craft, real-life inspirations and “the way things were.” 

Nancy Kricorian in conversation with Chris Bohjalian at the Armenian Museum of America. (Photo by Rosie Nisanyan)

While reading “The Amateur,” Kricorian thought, “A lot of these characters sound like Chris.” Bohjalian is vulnerable in the novel, revealing a lot about his childhood, his family and, as he put it, his own “demons.” He said that he is both Mira and Kenny, and their parents have much in common with his own.  

Through his work, he interrogates gender norms and what was considered “acceptable” in 1978. In “The Amateur,” Mira is criticized for the same things that would be tolerated or even celebrated if she were a man. In one scene, Mira sets a door on fire. Bohjalian exclaimed to the audience, “I did that!” Illustrating the double standard for men and women, he said, “Mira is called psychotic, but I was the life of the party.”

“The Amateur” is filled with Bohjalian’s trademark turns of phrase — vivid, metaphorical and memorable. 

Consider this passage: “Balls — all kinds of balls — rarely kill people. (Excluding, arguably, balls as testicles. History is awash in testicle-fueled carnage…)” Bohjalian, writing as Mira, goes on to cite the number of deaths caused by baseballs, footballs, basketballs and marbles, concluding: “So, it’s the small balls that kill. Not the big ones.”

In terms of his writing process, Bohjalian once adhered to a strict routine, to the point that if it was even slightly interrupted, it was not going to be a good day. However, the pandemic changed things for him, as it did for so many of us. The pandemic — and a new dog named Jesse — seemed to have mellowed him and made his writing schedule a little less rigid, allowing time for leisurely dog walks, long bike rides and quality time with family. But one thing that has remained true of his process: “I need to have fun writing a book, or you’re not going to have fun reading it.”

As a fellow writer, Kricorian advised, “Respect your process,” stressing that what works for one artist may not work for another.

In his novels, Bohjalian aims for a combination of “heartbreak and hope.” His work also contains a sense of dread that he partly attributes to the intergenerational trauma of the Armenian Genocide. He explores the genocide and its impact in his 2012 novel “The Sandcastle Girls.” However, he stresses that “Armenians are more than just the genocide,” pointing to the number of streets in Yerevan named after poets and composers.

“I need to have fun writing a book, or you’re not going to have fun reading it.”

Cover of “The Amateur” by Chris Bohjalian. (Photo by Rosie Nisanyan)

The entertaining and illuminating conversation was followed by a lively Q&A session with the audience, during which Bohjalian shared advice for readers and writers alike.

Bohjalian believes that reading novels — imagining oneself in another’s shoes — makes people more empathetic, a quality he considers increasingly important in a “post-literate” society.

An audience member asked Bohjalian why he shares his “failures” on Instagram. He has shared posts about books that didn’t do well, manuscripts he never finished and other “failures.” Bohjalian noted that social media often shows only one side of our lives. He said, “I want to show that we all have failures, we all experience loss.”

Before moving on to sign books and pose for photos with attendees, Bohjalian was surprised with a cake and the whole room sang “Happy Birthday.” The next day was his birthday.

 “I want to show that we all have failures, we all experience loss.”

“The Amateur” is available from booksellers and online retailers. Bohjalian is @chrisbohjalian on social media. Watch or listen to his Hye Pulse podcast interview on Hairenik Media’s YouTube channel or Spotify.