Amateurs: A Novel

“A bright, perceptive story about friends trying with mixed results to wrestle with the pressures of adulthood.” —Los Angeles Times

Archer is a semi-celebrated novelist and sex-toy heir. His best friend, John, is as earnest as Archer is feckless. John’s girlfriend, Sara, envies Archer’s writing career. And Sara’s roommate, Lucas, wishes he’d never lost his girlfriend to the man. As these four characters come of age, they’ll also have to come to grips with the tangled realities of money, friendship, and resentment . . .

“An improbable and wildly enjoyable mix of a comedy of manners, a road-trip story, and a slacker coming-of-age tale. Hicks manages to turns what could easily have made readers stumble―multiple protagonists in multiple time lines―into a winning narrative style . . . Though the story lines themselves are engaging, it is Hicks’ ear for dialogue, humor, and detail that makes the novel shine.” —Booklist

“A scrumptious plot.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)