Crux

Praise for Crux:

“Rowdy, electric…Tallent is skilled in animating the whiplash of teenage emotion… the way he executes the conclusion is thrilling, propulsive and earned.” —New York Times

“Tallent’s project strides forward with poetic guns blazing… insanely bighearted.” —The Washington Post

“Taut and engrossing…Crux recalls the best recent novels that have drilled deep into the physical and emotional damage of life on America’s lower rungs.” —Los Angeles Times

“Crux pulsates with ambition, intensity, passion for the natural world, and devotion to life’s biggest questions.” —The Boston Globe

“Climbing nuts especially will devour this ode to impossible dreams and the transformative power of friendship.” —People

“This tense and staggering tale of rock climbing and family demons from Tallent explores the cost of following one’s dreams… It’s a towering coming-of-age saga packed with muscle and heart.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Thrilling, well-turned… he consistently has his eye on the existential questions that climbing metaphorizes, such as how to balance independence with responsibility and what constitutes a meaningful life goal…A sharp novel about youth in conflict with dreams, nature, and reality.”
—Kirkus (starred review)

“Downright transcendent.”
–Climbing Magazine

“A gorgeous love letter to the power of dreams and friendship.”
–BookPage

“Crux is one of the best novels I’ve ever read about friendship between a young man and a young woman. It’s also exciting and tension-filled. Sharply written and full of controlled emotion.”
—#1 New York Times bestselling author Stephen King

“I can’t remember the last time I cared about fictional characters as desperately as I came to care about the beautiful, hilarious and courageous teenage protagonists of Crux. This book is like nothing else — it’s an unconventional love story; a merciless portrait of Americans who live (literally) on the edge; and an adrenalized, heart-stopping, action-adventure ride of the highest stakes. At the center of it all beats a pure and sincere heart. I absolutely loved this book and will never forget it.”
—#1 New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert

“A breathtaking, thrilling and unforgettable story of friendship, of hopes and dreams against a reality so harsh it broke my heart. I won’t forget Tamma and Dan. I adored Crux, it is everything you could want in a book.”
—Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of All the Colors of the Dark

“I wasn’t seeking a novel about the intense platonic friendship between two young rock climbers, but here Crux is, and she’s a beauty. Everything, it turns out, is rock climbing. Crux is tender, immersive, and thrilling, with memorable characters—not just the main ones either—who feel unruly and fully alive. Gabriel Tallent depicts the natural world and the existential difficulties of being a human within it, with depth and grace.”
—Gabrielle Zevin, New York Times bestselling author of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow