Bohjalian now believes that the short story he submitted was "no doubt pretty abysmal." Fortunately, aside from this devastating experience, Bohjalian had excellent experiences with supportive Amherst professors.
In October, his ninth novel, "Before You Know Kindness," debuted on several bestseller lists. His fifth novel published, "Midwives," was a number-one New York Times bestseller.
Bohjalian lives in Vermont with his wife Victoria Blewer, Smith College '82. They have "a wonderfully and incredibly cool 10-year-old daughter," Grace. "I would be absolutely thrilled if she wound up at Amherst because I got a fabulous education there," he said.
Friendships that last
At Amherst, Bohjalian majored in American studies. He wrote for The Amherst Student for four years, working as publisher one year. He also had a late-night show on WAMH and worked overnight at the College switchboard.
J.J. Gertler '82 and Bohjalian met when both were first-year reporters for The Student. "Chris was obviously very bright and a very good writer. He was particularly interested in the macabre and the darker side of life," said Gertler. "It was interesting to watch him evolve. Just over those four years he became a more cheerful person. ... I should say this: he was then and remains today a very thoughtful and considerate fellow."
Another lasting friendship that Bohjalian formed was with Mike Giaimo '83, a fraternity brother. "Chris wrote all the time," said Giamo. "I don't think anybody was surprised when he ended up a published writer."
Bohjalian recalls professors of English Barry O'Connell and Kim Townsend and professor of Russian Stanley Rabinowitz as the professors who influenced him most.
"My clearest memory of him was of a fine thesis on Fitzgerald and a good conversation in his orals about Gatsby," said Townsend. "It is not easy to be memorable about Fitzgerald and Gatsby! He was obviously a fine student and an extremely likable guy."
After graduation, Bohjalian worked at an advertising agency in New York City. He wrote his first two novels, "A Killing in the Real World" and "Hangman," before work each day.
Adam Turteltaub '83, a fellow newspaper staff member and fraternity brother, was impressed by Bohjalian's tireless work after college. "His energy is still just incredible," said Turteltaub. "In advertising, he was always six weeks ahead in his work, and yet he still found time to do his writing and then ultimately sold his first book and then second and then third."
Change of pace
Bohjalian and Blewer eventually moved to Vermont, where he transitioned into newspaper work and out of advertising. Bohjalian's move to Vermont influenced his writing. "The vast majority of my novels are set in Vermont. Vermont is great fodder for fiction," he said. "I like to write about New England because things are at a human scale here. In some ways we are a microcosm for cultural changes occurring everywhere." "Before You Know Kindness" is set in New Hampshire and Manhattan. "Maybe I like exploring the clash of cultures between...urban and rural America," said the author.
Gertler has read all of his friend's books. "I think my favorite was 'Past the Bleachers,' in part because it was the first one that seemed to have Chris' voice in it, and in part because that was the book where when you read it, it was clear this guy was going places. His ability to observe and to write believable characters was very clear in that book," said Gertler. "In his more recent books what I feel most strongly is Chris' fascination with the world around him. Each of his books takes on a particular subject that he finds interesting and explores it through numerous people's eyes, so that he is both educating the reader and celebrating the subject and the people that fascinate him."
Writing for the masses
Bohjalian has a talent for capturing life in words, and his characters are very real and beautifully drawn people. He has explored a variety of issues, including home birth and midwifery in "Midwives," transsexuality in "Trans-Sister Radio," and, most recently, animal rights activism in "Before You Know Kindness."
In 2003, Bohjalian published a collection of his column, "Idyll Banter," which he writes for the Burlington Free Press. "I write the columns ... on Friday afternoons. It's a nice break from my fiction because my fiction can be wrenching to write and to read," he said. "There are moments in all my books that I believe are gently comic, but the subject matter generally is pretty dark. I write about ordinary people in extraordinary and often heartbreaking circumstances."
All-time favorites
Professor of English William Pritchard never had Bohjalian as a student but has written reviews of several of Bohjalian's books, and particularly enjoyed "The Law of Similars", which discusses homeopathy. "He always deals with issues, more social than political, though sometimes they overlap. Like the other books, ['Before You Know Kindness'] has identifiable ideas and themes that he thrashes around," said Pritchard. "He's really grown in confidence and he knows what he wants to do. He has a good easy talent. He's a good journalist, which comes out in his fiction. He does his research." Pritchard also commended Bohjalian as a good realistic writer who uses humor without exploiting it. "He has respectful attitudes to his characters, especially in this new novel," he said. "He lets his characters say what they have to say."
Turteltaub said he particularly likes Bohjalian's voice. "My favorite thing is how he writes children. He really does a good job of capturing what they're thinking, and writing from their perspective," he said. "I think I see his personality in that there are so many strong women in his books. His wife has a strong personality and that may be it. It's something that fascinates him. A great strength is his ability to capture people who aren't himself necessarily."
Gertler listed what he believes are Bohjalian's great strengths. "First, empathy with his characters. When you read Chris' books there are no truly evil people. Everyone has good reasons to do what they do. Second is his evident love of the world around him. As his more recent books have been set in communities similar to [where he lives], you see both a celebration of rural life and a genuine fondness for the people," he said. "Third is his observation, an eye for the telling detail or incident that tells you more about a person than two pages of description. But I think my favorite thing ... is that he gets out on book tours so I get to enjoy his company more often."
For Gertler, part of the appeal is Bohjalian's style. "There are times when Chris is like Garrison Keillor, in both his humor and his fondness for the people around him, and there are times when Chris is like a Scott Turow ['70], when his characters are faced with complex difficulties and you have to keep reading to see how they solve them. But in the end, he is most like Chris Bohjalian, and there's no one I'd rather read," he said.
Growing as a writer
After publishing four national bestsellers, Bohjalian's goal is to continue to grow as a writer. "I like to believe that my work will continue to show growth," he said. "But I am, alas, beyond that period in my life when I can guarantee that every work will be better than the one that preceded it."
His writing has developed over the course of his 10 books through practice and he advises aspiring writers from his experience. "You're always going to be told to write what you know or write what you don't know, but I think that either is fine as long as you care passionately about the subject," he said. "When I'm sufficiently excited about a book that I'm getting up at 5:00 a.m., I know that I am bringing enough passion to the material that I know it might be worth a reader's time."
His second piece of advice is to "read lots and really study the fiction. Take it apart, try to study what makes it work. You should read the kind of books you want to write." And third, "Write often. Don't wait for the muse to inspire you; schedule, write every day if possible.
"Amherst is a great place for an aspiring writer. There's absolutely no question in my mind, I would not be a novelist if I had not gone to Amherst. I am more indebted to Amherst than you can imagine."