The Amateur Characters

The protagonist and narrator. A golf prodigy from Tallmadge who accidentally kills Kenny Foster as a teenager and is later charged in his death. Her guilt over Kenny, shame about her affair with an older married man, and self-destructive streak nearly destroy her, but she eventually becomes a writer and builds a life.

Arc: She moves from self-loathing and a suicide attempt to recovery, marriage to Ethan Pomerleau, and a career as a novelist. She eventually learns that Kenny, not she, removed the target and confronts Theo Catton as an old man.

• Kenny Foster — the boy she accidentally killed with a golf ball
• Theo Catton — predatory married lover she had as a teenager
• Ethan Pomerleau — future husband who saved her life
• Olivia Foster — Kenny's sister, who reveals the truth about the target
• Nick Foster — Kenny's father, who saw her with Theo at a hotel
• Sharon Foster — Kenny's mother, who embraces her in shared grief
• Alexis Winston — her mother
• Peter Winston — her father
• Spencer — her supportive older brother
• Marie Morris — her best friend from high school
• Dennis Kerrington — older novelist and former lover
• Tina Hawthorne — Smith College roommate
• Heidi Romming — golf coach and mentor
• Cleon Barker — her lawyer
• Harry Fallows — former coach and legal adversary
• Frank Pendleton — boy who tried to rape her and later taunts her
• Harvey — the family dog

A married country-club man, much older than Mira, who begins a sexual relationship with her when she is fifteen. He later lies to her about whether there were other girls after her.

Arc: He goes from being a powerful, predatory figure in Mira's adolescence to a frail old man on Marco Island, still unwilling to acknowledge the harm he did.

• Mira Winston — the teenager he groomed and had an affair with
• Eleanor Catton — his wife, who ends the marriage
• Peter Winston — Mira's father, who confronts him
• Nick Foster — the man who saw him with Mira at a hotel
• Winnie — his daughter
• Geoff — his son

The country club pro who resented Mira's talent and whose testimony paints her as temperamental. Mira and her lawyer suspect him of cutting down the target and planting it in her bag, though the truth turns out to be different.

Arc: He remains an adversary; his testimony is undercut, and the final revelation exonerates Mira without vindicating him.

• Mira Winston — his former student, now the person he testifies against
• Heidi Romming — the coach who replaced him as Mira's teacher
• Curt Bolger — his assistant at the club

The Westchester County district attorney who prosecutes Mira for involuntary manslaughter in Kenny Foster's death. He is friends with Eleanor Catton and centers his case on the missing target.

Arc: His prosecution collapses when Olivia Foster reveals that Kenny removed the target himself, and the criminal case is dismissed.

• Mira Winston — the defendant he prosecutes
• Eleanor Catton — old friend from Skidmore
• Judge Ephraim Wood — the judge he appears before

A boy who tried to rape Mira when she was fifteen and then spread a false story that he had succeeded. He later taunts her about older men and gloats when she is charged.

Arc: He remains a minor antagonist; Mira vandalizes his car and later hurts him with her car door.

• Mira Winston — the girl he assaulted and taunted

A seventeen-year-old caddy from a working-class family who is killed when Mira's golf ball strikes his head. He secretly had a crush on Mira, practiced disco in private, and had a girlfriend in Miami. He disliked being called Kenny and signed his letters 'Ken.'

Arc: He dies at the start; posthumously his sister reveals that he cut off the practice-net target and planted it in Mira's bag, changing the legal case and Mira's understanding of the accident.

• Mira Winston — the girl he secretly admired and who accidentally killed him
• Nick Foster — his father
• Sharon Foster — his mother
• Olivia Foster — his younger sister
• Jane Foster — his youngest sister
• Anna Reyes — his girlfriend in Miami

A twenty-nine-year-old Vietnam veteran and Amherst freshman when he meets Mira at Smith. He saves her life after her suicide attempt and becomes her moral supporter and later her husband.

Arc: He evolves from a rescuer and friend into Mira's husband, appearing with her in the novel's later frame.

• Mira Winston — the woman he saves and later marries
• Tina Hawthorne — his friend's younger sister, who regards him like an uncle

Kenny's younger sister, who knows the secret that Kenny cut down the target and put it in Mira's bag. She reveals it in court and later meets Mira at a book festival as an adult.

Arc: She carries guilt and fear as a child, confesses in court, and later finds a kind of peace, naming her first child Kenneth after her brother.

• Kenny Foster — her deceased older brother
• Jane Foster — her younger sister
• Nick Foster — her father
• Sharon Foster — her mother
• Mira Winston — the woman she publicly defends in court
• Becca Yount — her friend and sidekick

Kenny's father, who grieves throughout the investigation and trial. He saw Mira with Theo Catton at a hotel and warns Mira's parents, meaning to protect them; he does not publicly blame Mira.

Arc: He remains a decent, grieving parent; by the novel's present he is dead.

• Kenny Foster — his dead son
• Sharon Foster — his wife
• Mira Winston — the girl who killed his son; he looks at her with pity
• Theo Catton — the man he saw with Mira at a hotel

Kenny's mother, who at first is angry at God, the club, and Mira, but later embraces Mira and nods to her at the funeral. In later life she has dementia and lives in assisted living.

Arc: Her grief eventually becomes a shared sorrow with Mira before dementia takes her.

• Kenny Foster — her dead son
• Nick Foster — her husband
• Olivia Foster — her daughter
• Jane Foster — her daughter
• Mira Winston — the girl she does not blame for Kenny's death
• Father Whitlock — her priest, who visits after Kenny's death

Mira's mother, who has her own affair with Sam Stetson and repeatedly prioritizes appearances and legal caution. She tries to comfort Mira after the accident and later ends the affair to focus on her daughter.

Arc: She shifts from minimizing Mira's trauma to becoming more attentive after Mira's suicide attempt.

• Mira Winston — her daughter
• Peter Winston — her husband
• Spencer — her son
• Sam Stetson — her former lover
• Deirdre Stetson — her tennis partner at the club

Mira's father, who initially seems more interested in legal liability than Mira's distress and favors Spencer. He later confronts Theo Catton, brawls with him, and stands by Mira through the trial.

Arc: He grows from a distracted, judgmental parent into a protector who believes Mira's innocence.

• Mira Winston — his daughter
• Alexis Winston — his wife
• Spencer — his son, whom he favors
• Theo Catton — the man he confronts over the affair
• Cleon Barker — his lawyer and law-school acquaintance

Mira's older brother, nicknamed 'the Pinnacle' by their parents. He supports Mira from Washington and Princeton, calls her after the accident, and visits her in the hospital.

Arc: He remains a steady, supportive presence, using gallows humor to comfort Mira.

• Mira Winston — his younger sister
• Peter Winston — his father
• Alexis Winston — his mother

Mira's best friend from high school. She is a confidante who visits Mira at Smith, but she also tells Annie Bainbridge about Mira's affair, leading to damaging rumors; she later reconciles with Mira.

Arc: She betrays a confidence, is devastated by Mira's suicide attempt, and mends the friendship.

• Mira Winston — her best friend
• Dennis Kerrington — briefly meets him at a bar
• Annie Bainbridge — the person she confided in about Mira's affair

An older novelist who becomes Mira's lover and would-be mentor in New York. He recommends Lolita, later tears up her autobiographical story, tells her she is not a writer, and says 'Then be a banker.'

Arc: His rejection ends their relationship and inadvertently fuels Mira's determination to write; she never sees him again.

• Mira Winston — his much younger lover and protegee

Mira's Smith College roommate. She is initially friendly but becomes horrified by Mira's past and the rumors, confronts her, moves out, and later sends an apology letter.

Arc: She goes from judgment and rejection to remorse and an offer of friendship.

• Mira Winston — her roommate
• Ethan Pomerleau — her older brother's best friend, like an uncle to her

Mira's golf coach and mentor since Mira won the club championship at fourteen. She tries to console Mira after Kenny's death and worries about her mental state.

Arc: She remains a supportive figure; Mira's later thank-you letter is returned because Heidi has died.

• Mira Winston — her golf student and mentee
• Harry Fallows — the club pro she replaced as Mira's coach

The family lawyer who represents Mira in the civil suit and criminal case. He works to create reasonable doubt, suggesting Harry Fallows or Curt Bolger could have planted the target.

Arc: His defense strategy becomes unnecessary when Olivia reveals the truth, and the case is dismissed.

• Mira Winston — his client
• Peter Winston — Mira's father and his acquaintance

A detective who investigates Kenny Foster's death, questions Mira about the target, and testifies about finding it in her golf bag. He believes she is responsible.

Arc: He remains convinced of Mira's guilt through the trial; the case is dismissed after the truth emerges.

• Mira Winston — the defendant he investigates
• Jerry Corbin — his partner detective
• Frank Pendleton — the boy whose car Mira vandalized, mentioned in testimony

Detective Marino's partner, present for questioning and searches; he says little.

Arc: No significant arc.

• Richie Marino — his partner detective
• Mira Winston — person he helps investigate

The priest who visits the Fosters after Kenny's death, then comes to Mira's house. Mira realizes he came to warn her that people are volatile and react differently to a capricious God.

Arc: He appears briefly, delivering a warning Mira internalizes.

• Mira Winston — the girl he consoles and warns
• Nick Foster — Kenny's father, whom he visits first
• Sharon Foster — Kenny's mother, whose anger he describes

A defense expert who examines the cut net and explains that removing the target damaged the net like snipping a sewn pocket. She tells Mira a jury will likely believe Mira cut it.

Arc: She is part of the legal preparation, helping Mira understand the evidence against her.

• Mira Winston — the client she advises
• Alexis Winston — addresses her by first name

Harry Fallows's assistant at the country club. His testimony about seeing Kenny Foster enter the bag room inadvertently reveals that Kenny, not Mira, planted the target.

Arc: He is the unwitting witness whose statement cracks the case.

• Harry Fallows — his boss at the club
• Kenny Foster — the boy he saw entering the bag room
• Mira Winston — person his testimony indirectly exonerates

A caddy who testifies for the prosecution about Mira's angry behavior at the practice net and her complaints about the target.

Arc: No significant arc; his testimony is challenged by the defense.

• Mira Winston — the caddy who testifies against her
• Harry Fallows — the pro he saw Mira yell at

The caddy master who called Kenny Foster's name on the day of the accident. He testifies that Mira laughed when Kenny collapsed.

Arc: No significant arc.

• Kenny Foster — the caddy whose name he called
• Mira Winston — the girl he saw laugh when Kenny collapsed

A club member and beginner golfer whose bag Kenny was called to caddy for. He testifies that he saw Mira drive the ball through the net and Kenny fall.

Arc: No significant arc.

• Jill Bedford — his wife
• Kenny Foster — the caddy assigned to their loop

Brendan's wife and a beginner golfer at the club; she is present when Kenny is killed.

Arc: No significant arc.

• Brendan Bedford — her husband
• Kenny Foster — the caddy assigned to their loop

One of the Fosters' lawyers in the civil suit; he questions Mira at her deposition about the accident and the target.

Arc: No significant arc.

• Mira Winston — the deponent he questions

One of the Fosters' lawyers; he questions Mira at her second deposition about the missing target and whether she yelled 'Fore!'

Arc: No significant arc.

• Mira Winston — the deponent he questions

The judge presiding over Mira's criminal trial. He appears to get along well with the district attorney.

Arc: No significant arc.

• Eric Lindley — the district attorney who appears before him
• Mira Winston — the defendant in his courtroom

Theo's wife. She calls the police during the driveway brawl, ends her marriage after learning of Theo's affair with Mira, and is friends with the district attorney.

Arc: She goes from betrayed wife to someone described as better now; her children act out after Theo leaves.

• Theo Catton — her husband, whom she kicks out
• Mira Winston — the young woman her husband slept with
• Eric Lindley — old friend from Skidmore
• Alexis Winston — a woman she avoids at the grocery store
• Winnie — her daughter
• Geoff — her son

Theo and Eleanor's daughter. After her father is kicked out, she acts out, throwing a dozen raw eggs at the kitchen walls and struggling to get out of bed.

Arc: No significant arc; she illustrates the collateral damage of the affair.

• Theo Catton — her father
• Eleanor Catton — her mother
• Geoff — her brother

Theo and Eleanor's young son; Winnie had to make his lunches after their father left.

Arc: No significant arc.

• Theo Catton — his father
• Eleanor Catton — his mother
• Winnie — his sister

Olivia's friend and sidekick. She is present with Olivia when Mira visits Kenny's room and shares gossip about the Catton family.

Arc: No significant arc.

• Olivia Foster — her friend
• Mira Winston — someone she walks with and talks to

Kenny's younger sister. She appears at the funeral and in the courtroom, and later becomes a scratch golfer and golf professional.

Arc: She grows up and builds a life, partly funded by the settlement from Kenny's death.

• Kenny Foster — her older brother
• Olivia Foster — her older sister
• Nick Foster — her father
• Sharon Foster — her mother
• Mira Winston — the woman who killed her brother

The Winston family dog. Mira walks him, cuddles him, and thinks of him as a symbol of everyone she might hurt by leaving.

Arc: He remains a comfort to Mira and ages through her college years.

• Mira Winston — his owner

A country-club man with whom Mira's mother has an affair. Mira discovers the affair by overhearing them, and Theo later learns of it from Sam.

Arc: His affair with Alexis ends when she breaks it off to focus on Mira.

• Alexis Winston — his former lover
• Deirdre Stetson — his wife
• Theo Catton — a golf partner who heard about the affair

Sam's wife and Mira's mother's tennis partner. She is unaware of her husband's affair with Alexis.

Arc: No significant arc; she never finds out.

• Sam Stetson — her husband
• Alexis Winston — her tennis partner at the club

A housemate at Smith who tells Mira that Annie Bainbridge spread the rumors and offers Tina a sleeping bag. She later sends Mira a sweet apology letter.

Arc: She moves from gossip-adjacent observer to apologizing.

• Mira Winston — her housemate
• Tina Hawthorne — housemate she offers a bag
• Annie Bainbridge — the person she identifies as spreading rumors

A Smith housemate who accuses Mira of having had a baby in New York and giving it up for adoption.

Arc: No significant arc.

• Mira Winston — housemate she accuses

A Smith housemate who, during the confrontation, murmurs that Mira also killed someone.

Arc: No significant arc.

• Mira Winston — housemate she speaks about

Mira's aunt who hosts her in Murray Hill while she works at the travel magazine and travels with her to Tallmadge for Thanksgiving.

Arc: No significant arc.

• Mira Winston — her niece

Mira's uncle who hosts her in Murray Hill with Aunt Julie.

Arc: No significant arc.

• Mira Winston — her niece

A twenty-two-year-old editorial assistant at the travel magazine who calls himself Commander Quaalude and supplies Mira with quaaludes.

Arc: No significant arc.

• Mira Winston — coworker he supplies with drugs

Kenny's girlfriend in Miami, mentioned in his backstory. He kept his Florida life and clothes private because he wanted to fit in at Tallmadge.

Arc: No significant arc; she exists only in Mira's reconstruction of Kenny's life.

• Kenny Foster — her boyfriend in Miami

A girl who spread rumors about Mira at Smith, including that Mira had a baby and wrecked families. Marie Morris had confided in her about Mira's affair.

Arc: No significant arc; her gossip contributes to the confrontation that precedes Mira's suicide attempt.

• Marie Morris — the friend who confided in her
• Mira Winston — the subject of the rumors she spread