"The Amateur" is the story of Mira, who will almost certainly be a character on the big screen within the next few years. Like Christina Ricci in "The Ice Storm," Mira is a teen in an affluent suburb in the 1970s. No one watches her very closely (and this is a problem). Having survived an attempted assault, Mira goes after her attacker. She is a skilled golfer; she destroys the guy's car with a 9-iron. She does not explain the context surrounding her behavior--the world has never been very welcoming to victims of assault, and the world of the 1970s is especially problematic. So Mira acquires a reputation for being "troubled." Then the story takes a turn unlike any other turn I've seen in any novel. Mira is practicing her swing in one of those enormous "golf tents" you see here and there--next to a row of batting cages. The owner of the tent has not followed instructions. A tent should be installed in an area that adjoins a wall; instead,...