Gabriel Tallent is the author of My Absolute Darling, which was a New York Times bestseller and a New York Times Notable Book, as well as a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the John Leonard Prize.

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

Publisher: Riverhead Books

Pub date: 2026-01-20

Length: 416 pages