“Tender, immersive, and thrilling." —Gabrielle Zevin "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." —Elizabeth Gilbert "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.” —Stephen King
“Breathtaking.” —Chris Whitaker
In this story of intense friendship and grit, two down-and-out teens escape their lives and chase a different future through rock-climbing -- from the New York Times bestselling author of My Absolute Darling.
Dan and Tamma are two teenagers in their last year of high school in the southern Mojave Desert. One is a gifted golden child, the other a mouthy burnout. Climbing boulders in trash-strewn parking lots during cold desert nights, they seal their unique bond and dream of a life of adventure.
As the year progresses and adult reality looms, they are rocked by change and pulled apart by irreconcilable obligations. Differences of class, talent, and prospects take on new importance; options dwindle, and their decisions grow ever more consequential and perilous. It feels inevitable, finally, that something must give.
With a magnificent gift for nature writing and a joyful appreciation for the redemptive power of friendship, Gabriel Tallent gives readers a rollicking, adrenaline-filled, and soul-searching novel about risking everything to change your life.
Praise for Crux:
"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.” —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
Praise for My Absolute Darling:
"Impossible to put down." —NPR
"A novel that readers will gulp down, gasping.” —The Washington Post
"The word 'masterpiece' has been cheapened by too many blurbs, but My Absolute Darling absolutely is one." —Stephen King
Gabriel Tallent is the author of the New York Times-bestselling novel My Absolute Darling. He was born in New Mexico and raised on the Mendocino coast by two mothers. He received his B.A. from Willamette University in 2010, and after graduation spent two seasons leading youth trail crews in the backcountry of the Pacific Northwest. Tallent lives in Salt Lake City.
View titles by Gabriel Tallent
“Tender, immersive, and thrilling." —Gabrielle Zevin "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." —Elizabeth Gilbert "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.” —Stephen King
“Breathtaking.” —Chris Whitaker
In this story of intense friendship and grit, two down-and-out teens escape their lives and chase a different future through rock-climbing -- from the New York Times bestselling author of My Absolute Darling.
Dan and Tamma are two teenagers in their last year of high school in the southern Mojave Desert. One is a gifted golden child, the other a mouthy burnout. Climbing boulders in trash-strewn parking lots during cold desert nights, they seal their unique bond and dream of a life of adventure.
As the year progresses and adult reality looms, they are rocked by change and pulled apart by irreconcilable obligations. Differences of class, talent, and prospects take on new importance; options dwindle, and their decisions grow ever more consequential and perilous. It feels inevitable, finally, that something must give.
With a magnificent gift for nature writing and a joyful appreciation for the redemptive power of friendship, Gabriel Tallent gives readers a rollicking, adrenaline-filled, and soul-searching novel about risking everything to change your life.
Praise
Praise for Crux:
"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.” —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
Praise for My Absolute Darling:
"Impossible to put down." —NPR
"A novel that readers will gulp down, gasping.” —The Washington Post
"The word 'masterpiece' has been cheapened by too many blurbs, but My Absolute Darling absolutely is one." —Stephen King
Gabriel Tallent is the author of the New York Times-bestselling novel My Absolute Darling. He was born in New Mexico and raised on the Mendocino coast by two mothers. He received his B.A. from Willamette University in 2010, and after graduation spent two seasons leading youth trail crews in the backcountry of the Pacific Northwest. Tallent lives in Salt Lake City.
View titles by Gabriel Tallent
