Beth McHugh's brilliant debut novel takes place in the late 1960s in a Montana university town, and it revolves around thirteen-year-old Grace, her younger sister Franny, their beautiful mother, their beloved father—and a secret that must be confronted. Perceptive and elegantly understated, The Actor examines the divide between secrecy and truth and what it means to grow up on such a precipice. McHugh received an MFA from the University of Montana and teaches high school English in Hamilton, Montana, where she lives with her husband. The Actor was the runaway winner for the inaugural Meadowlark Award. Praise for The Actor: "The Actor is breathtaking in its elegance, precision, and beauty. It is a multi-layered love story, and it cracks your heart; it opens your eyes. Beth McHugh is a wizard of perception. She has fashioned a fine, true thing. Read this book, please." - Deirdre McNamer, author of Red Rover, My Russian, and Rima in the Weeds