Chris Bohjalian is an acclaimed American author, known for his literary fiction, historical fiction, and suspense novels. Born in White Plains, New York in 1962, Bohjalian grew up with an Armenian father and Swedish mother. He pursued his higher education at Amherst College, where he became a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society. After graduating, he worked for J. Walter Thompson as an account representative but left the company following a threatening incident in the mid-1980s. Bohjalian then moved to Lincoln, Vermont, where he and his wife, Victoria Schaeffer Brewer, purchased a house and began writing for local magazines and newspapers.
Bohjalian has built a reputation for his character-driven narratives, often focusing on a single issue and featuring flawed characters. His stories touch on various themes, including environmentalism, animal rights, and historical events. Many of his novels are set in New England towns, providing a familiar and intimate backdrop for his stories. Among his most notable works are "Midwives," "The Sandcastle Girls," and "The Flight Attendant," the latter of which has been adapted into an HBO Max series. Bohjalian's novels have been translated into 35 languages and have become the basis for three movies and an Emmy-nominated TV series.
In addition to his work as a novelist, Bohjalian is a prolific writer for various publications, contributing to the New York Times, the Boston Globe Sunday Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Reader's Digest, and the Burlington Free Press. His work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the ANCA Freedom Award for his efforts to educate Americans about the Armenian Genocide and the ANCA Arts and Letters Award for "The Sandcastle Girls." He has also been a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award and has received the Walter Cerf Medal for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts, as well as the Saint Mesrob Mashdots Medal. Bohjalian is a Fellow of the Vermont Academy of Arts and Sciences and has been awarded Honorary Degrees from Amherst, Champlain College, and Castleton University. He currently resides in Vermont with his wife and their daughter, Grace Experience, who is an accomplished audiobook narrator.