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Crux
In this story of intense friendship and grit, two down-and-out teens escape the hopelessness of 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.
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.
13 pages, Audiobook
First published January 20, 2026
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January 29, 2026
Tallent has a talent for writing these incredibly shocking but gritty stories about life & relationships.
Two teens on the verge of adulthood trying to figure out their life paths. They grew up just outside the desert in squalor. Best friends who love to climb; it gives them identity. But as they end their final year of HS, they are blindsided with decisions they need to make rather than ones they want.
Tallent’s writing is sharp. His characters as edgy as the ragged cliffs they climb.
The bedraggled Tamma, a lesbian, who has had an abusive upbringing. She is rude, crude but has the passion for the climb. Dan, the brilliant nerd, has realized he has an opportunity Tamma doesn’t. One that will take him away from the rocks and his best friend.
Crux is a layered story of hardships, ambitions, life decisions and friendships.
There is a lot of technical jargon here so the Crux of this is, it won’t be a climb for everyone.
4⭐️
Do check out My Absolute Darling
Two teens on the verge of adulthood trying to figure out their life paths. They grew up just outside the desert in squalor. Best friends who love to climb; it gives them identity. But as they end their final year of HS, they are blindsided with decisions they need to make rather than ones they want.
Tallent’s writing is sharp. His characters as edgy as the ragged cliffs they climb.
The bedraggled Tamma, a lesbian, who has had an abusive upbringing. She is rude, crude but has the passion for the climb. Dan, the brilliant nerd, has realized he has an opportunity Tamma doesn’t. One that will take him away from the rocks and his best friend.
Crux is a layered story of hardships, ambitions, life decisions and friendships.
There is a lot of technical jargon here so the Crux of this is, it won’t be a climb for everyone.
4⭐️
Do check out My Absolute Darling
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Yes, the teenage protagonists of this bildungsroman are rock climbers, but the sport mainly serves as a metaphor: "Crux" investigates what it takes to maintain friendships through difficult challenges, so how climbers aiming to send a difficult route can encourage and protect each other, constantly re-arranging pads and attentively holding the safety rope. Our protagonists are high school seniors Dan Redburn (straight) and Tamma Callahan (a lesbian), best friends who plan to opt out of society's grind and to build a free, adventurous existence. They lack money and spend their time highball bouldering without proper gear, risking their lives in the Mojave Desert while seeking to feel the rush of being alive. Will the friends succeed in making their dream come true and dedicate their lives to climbing?
Class is a major theme here: Both Dan and Tamma hail from low-income households living in precarious circumstances: Dan is the son of a carpenter and a failed writer with a severe heart condition, and his parents, especially his mother, pressure him to attend college so he can build a life of higher financial security; meanwhile, Tamma's mother is a diner waitress with a drug-dealing boyfriend who wants her daughter to earn her keep, watch her little brother and assist her older sister who is raising three children of her own. Dan's and Tamma's mothers, once best friends, had a falling out many years ago, their respective sorrows and hardships came between the women and they could not find the strength to carry each other through. Now, Dan's mother warns him that his friend's trailer park family might drag him down, and as the pressure on both families increases due to life's challenges, the question arises whether Dan and Tamma will repeat history, or whether they can face the odds together.
And then there is the deep philosophical undercurrent that connects this novel to the classic bildungsroman, a genre with a foundational text (Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship) that dates back to 1795: Will the friends make a life within the society they were born into, or will they join the counterculture - which in Goethe's novel is the world of a traveling theater troupe, and here it is the world of climbing. Almost. Because in a country that is the epitome of capitalism, climbing has of course been packaged and commodified: Dan and Tamma are up against young athletes who have grown up with more financials means, better gear, better training and more opportunities. Tamma takes pride in her outsider habitus, she wants to stick it to the man, but Dan soon realizes that life is unjust and dangerous, especially when you're trying to send it with shoddy pads and a shitty security rope that you had to collect from someone else's trash.
Much like in the case of his debut My Absolute Darling, there is something absorbing, hypnotizing about Tallent's storytelling: Okay, there are many long passages about the intricacies of climbing that held no interest for me beyond their rather obvious metaphorical value (the author is a climber, here's proof), and I bet these parts are way more interesting to people who get the fascination (I even looked at some YouTube videos of pioneer highball boulderer Nina Williams, I still don't get it). Nevertheless, I always wanted to read on, enjoy those lively dialogues (the part in which Tamma enters her first competition and meets a famous climber is amazing), and ponder the complex psychology of the characters who are caught up in themselves, while hoping they can overcome their self-imposed limitations and the odds of a a society that has lost the plot. Tallent is simply a very good storyteller.
The crux of a climb is a particularly difficult stretch, but the novel goes deeper, asking about the crux people encounter in their lives - what kind and degree of agency do we really have when it comes to chosing which route we tackle, who is holding our rope and for whom are we holding the rope? Tallent finds very engaging angles to ponder these questions, and their are some longer monologues about the futile search for meaning and the relentless of life in there that hit very, very hard.
Come on, book prize judges, this deserves some heightened visibilty, so put it on some lists. It's also a great story to discuss.
Class is a major theme here: Both Dan and Tamma hail from low-income households living in precarious circumstances: Dan is the son of a carpenter and a failed writer with a severe heart condition, and his parents, especially his mother, pressure him to attend college so he can build a life of higher financial security; meanwhile, Tamma's mother is a diner waitress with a drug-dealing boyfriend who wants her daughter to earn her keep, watch her little brother and assist her older sister who is raising three children of her own. Dan's and Tamma's mothers, once best friends, had a falling out many years ago, their respective sorrows and hardships came between the women and they could not find the strength to carry each other through. Now, Dan's mother warns him that his friend's trailer park family might drag him down, and as the pressure on both families increases due to life's challenges, the question arises whether Dan and Tamma will repeat history, or whether they can face the odds together.
And then there is the deep philosophical undercurrent that connects this novel to the classic bildungsroman, a genre with a foundational text (Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship) that dates back to 1795: Will the friends make a life within the society they were born into, or will they join the counterculture - which in Goethe's novel is the world of a traveling theater troupe, and here it is the world of climbing. Almost. Because in a country that is the epitome of capitalism, climbing has of course been packaged and commodified: Dan and Tamma are up against young athletes who have grown up with more financials means, better gear, better training and more opportunities. Tamma takes pride in her outsider habitus, she wants to stick it to the man, but Dan soon realizes that life is unjust and dangerous, especially when you're trying to send it with shoddy pads and a shitty security rope that you had to collect from someone else's trash.
Much like in the case of his debut My Absolute Darling, there is something absorbing, hypnotizing about Tallent's storytelling: Okay, there are many long passages about the intricacies of climbing that held no interest for me beyond their rather obvious metaphorical value (the author is a climber, here's proof), and I bet these parts are way more interesting to people who get the fascination (I even looked at some YouTube videos of pioneer highball boulderer Nina Williams, I still don't get it). Nevertheless, I always wanted to read on, enjoy those lively dialogues (the part in which Tamma enters her first competition and meets a famous climber is amazing), and ponder the complex psychology of the characters who are caught up in themselves, while hoping they can overcome their self-imposed limitations and the odds of a a society that has lost the plot. Tallent is simply a very good storyteller.
The crux of a climb is a particularly difficult stretch, but the novel goes deeper, asking about the crux people encounter in their lives - what kind and degree of agency do we really have when it comes to chosing which route we tackle, who is holding our rope and for whom are we holding the rope? Tallent finds very engaging angles to ponder these questions, and their are some longer monologues about the futile search for meaning and the relentless of life in there that hit very, very hard.
Come on, book prize judges, this deserves some heightened visibilty, so put it on some lists. It's also a great story to discuss.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Whilst the synopsis focuses on the rock climbing aspirations of Tamma and Dan (and the book does have several detailed descriptions of the climbs they do), I found this book also delves deeply into the relationships the teenagers have with each other, their peers and their parents.
Both teens want to climb but Dan is being pushed by parental pressure to take a place at a prestigious university and Tamma's family just see her as a useless hindrance who needs to do more for her family.
I have to say that the parental relationships in this book made me extremely upset. If you want a manual on how to screw your kids up then this would be it. If the book teaches us anything then it is that teenagers, when properly motivated, are capable of far more than they are given credit for.
I confess to skimming over a lot of the climbing jargon. Whilst I am fascinated by the sport I didn't have the particular interest to learn all the details. However the interactions between Dan, Tamma and their families is also brilliantly written. I fell for both the main characters in a big way and was cheering them on right to the end.
Great characters, great plot. Very readable. I would definitely recommend this novel whether you are a climber or not.
Thankyou to Netgalley and Penguin General UK for the advance review copy.
Both teens want to climb but Dan is being pushed by parental pressure to take a place at a prestigious university and Tamma's family just see her as a useless hindrance who needs to do more for her family.
I have to say that the parental relationships in this book made me extremely upset. If you want a manual on how to screw your kids up then this would be it. If the book teaches us anything then it is that teenagers, when properly motivated, are capable of far more than they are given credit for.
I confess to skimming over a lot of the climbing jargon. Whilst I am fascinated by the sport I didn't have the particular interest to learn all the details. However the interactions between Dan, Tamma and their families is also brilliantly written. I fell for both the main characters in a big way and was cheering them on right to the end.
Great characters, great plot. Very readable. I would definitely recommend this novel whether you are a climber or not.
Thankyou to Netgalley and Penguin General UK for the advance review copy.
September 9, 2025
I did not care about ballet before reading They’re Going to Love You by Meg Howrey; I was skeptical about video games before reading Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin; I saw no appeal in rock climbing before reading Crux by Gabriel Tallent. This is a masterful story about grit and the lure of adventure, but it is also the story of how resilient children can take care of themselves — and each other — when they are failed by every adult in their lives. More than anything, it is an unforgettable story about the lifesaving properties of pure, selfless, platonic friendship. I loved Dan and Tamma, I feared for their safety, I cursed the parents who neglected them, I wept for the unfair and unyielding burdens they carried. Crux is brutal and beautiful — a novel about choice, determination, circumstance, and courage. I haven’t worried this much about fictional teenagers since reading Demon Copperhead. A heartbreaking, life-affirming masterpiece.
January 5, 2026
3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Crux follows teens Tammy and Dan, whose friendship is the lifeline through homes, choices, and fears that feel bigger than them. Rock climbing anchors the story, both literally and metaphorically, as they face moments that define who they are.
I really connected with the friendship at the heart of this book — how it lifts, challenges, and forces self-reflection. The themes of fear, resilience, and crossroads hit hard, and I liked how Tammy and Dan’s contrasting personalities underscored the idea that it’s fear, not failure, that can hold you back. The generational echoes added some nice depth too.
What didn’t land for me was the style: teen voice mixed with sudden philosophical musings felt uneven. The climbing focus, while central, can be niche, and the tone occasionally made the story hard to fully engage with.
Overall, Crux is a thoughtful look at friendship, fear, and growth — even if the delivery didn’t completely click for me.
Crux follows teens Tammy and Dan, whose friendship is the lifeline through homes, choices, and fears that feel bigger than them. Rock climbing anchors the story, both literally and metaphorically, as they face moments that define who they are.
I really connected with the friendship at the heart of this book — how it lifts, challenges, and forces self-reflection. The themes of fear, resilience, and crossroads hit hard, and I liked how Tammy and Dan’s contrasting personalities underscored the idea that it’s fear, not failure, that can hold you back. The generational echoes added some nice depth too.
What didn’t land for me was the style: teen voice mixed with sudden philosophical musings felt uneven. The climbing focus, while central, can be niche, and the tone occasionally made the story hard to fully engage with.
Overall, Crux is a thoughtful look at friendship, fear, and growth — even if the delivery didn’t completely click for me.
Read
January 15, 2026dnf @10%
this dialogue was insufferable
this dialogue was insufferable
December 9, 2025
3.5 !
I loved that the friendship in this novel was the whole point. The love that Dan and Tamma have for one another is so palpable - I can recall the people I held that close when I was in high school, how they were the pinnacle of my life, and I think that Tallent captures this kind of magic perfectly.
Where I think I struggled while reading is that, because it's also largely about rock climbing (and the reader is thrown directly into the narrative) it's heavy on blocking (the descriptions OF rock climbing). I was never able to fully get into that element of the story, and it left me feeling incredibly disjointed.
I wanted more emphasis on their home lives. Their dreams - and what those dreams meant for their friendship, in the future. I loved those parts, deeply, and wish more time and attention had been given to fleshing them out.
I loved that the friendship in this novel was the whole point. The love that Dan and Tamma have for one another is so palpable - I can recall the people I held that close when I was in high school, how they were the pinnacle of my life, and I think that Tallent captures this kind of magic perfectly.
Where I think I struggled while reading is that, because it's also largely about rock climbing (and the reader is thrown directly into the narrative) it's heavy on blocking (the descriptions OF rock climbing). I was never able to fully get into that element of the story, and it left me feeling incredibly disjointed.
I wanted more emphasis on their home lives. Their dreams - and what those dreams meant for their friendship, in the future. I loved those parts, deeply, and wish more time and attention had been given to fleshing them out.
January 21, 2026
Her father saw her and hated what he saw. You are nothing. Her mother too. Her peers at school. Everyone. They wanted her to sit down and shut up. She was a trailer-trash leftover, a dumb burnout with no hope and no prospects. It was blasphemy, this fundamental, outrageous belief in her own competence. It was hearing all those things that the whole world believed about you, and never believing them.
Crux is the story of two high school seniors, Dan and Tamma, who live in the Mojave Desert. Dan is a gifted student with numerous prospects after high school, while Tamma is a burnout with no plans after graduation - if she even manages to graduate. What bonds these two misfits is their love of rock climbing and their dream of making a life of it: living off the land and climbing tall things together for their entire lives. But reality intrudes, as reality tends to do, forcing each of them to reckon with their obligations and choices about their futures.
I love it when I read a book that makes me care about topics I previously had no interest in. Rock climbing? No thank you. It is not something I ever want to do in my life and something I never cared to read about it, either. But Gabriel Tallent had me so invested in Dan, Tamma, and their adventures - even through the climbing jargon, which does get bit descriptive and overwhelming at times. The way he describes the setting and builds tension is masterful.
But it wasn’t really the rock climbing that kept me so engrossed in Crux; it was Dan and Tamma themselves. They are such richly drawn characters, so flawed and authentic, and their bond feels so true. Tallent perfectly captures what one of those magical teenage friendships feels like: pure limerence, like you’ll be together forever, no matter what, and that there is no one else in the world who could possibly understand you like this other person. They gave me strong Steve and Robin from Stranger Things vibes; you cannot convince me that Tamma is anyone other than Maya Hawke.
Dan and Tamma are at a “crux” in their lives: a pivotal moment where they’re trying to decide what their futures are going to look like, while also dealing with turmoil and upheaval in their personal circumstances. Both of their families are poor, but their versions of poverty look very different, and Tallent explores this idea with sensitivity and insight. The supporting characters are just as well-drawn as the protagonists, and several of them evoked a really strong reaction in me (both negative and positive).
Crux is about silencing the outside noise as you’re trying to figure out who you are, staying true to the version of yourself you hope to become, and holding close the people who believe in you. It’s a powerful coming-of-age, soul-searching sort of story with so much emotional resonance. The writing and characters are gorgeous, and I was completely riveted from beginning to end. Thank you to Riverhead Books for the early reading opportunity.
January 2, 2026
3,5
If you are a climber yourself, then you’ll probably love Crux. If you have never climbed before, you’ll possibly have no idea what large parts of of the book are about and that may really destroy the enjoyment of it. Even though Tallent describes the climbing in an exciting way (I occasionally climb myself and I could almost feel the rock, visualise the moves, and imagine the pockets, holds, ridges etc.), I found the beginning a struggle to get through. Not only because of the technical climbing vocabulary, but also because the character of Tamma needed time to get used to and to evolve. (I don’t believe that anyone uses the word ‘dude’ that often to be honest, but luckily her language got more creative and smarter further on). The whole story needed time to develop really, because in the end, Crux is not only about climbing, it’s also about poverty, family, friendship, depression, growing up & having dreams and working hard.
I had some trouble early on, but I raced through the rest of this novel and on the whole enjoyed it.
Thank you Riverhead Books and Edelweiss for the ARC.
If you are a climber yourself, then you’ll probably love Crux. If you have never climbed before, you’ll possibly have no idea what large parts of of the book are about and that may really destroy the enjoyment of it. Even though Tallent describes the climbing in an exciting way (I occasionally climb myself and I could almost feel the rock, visualise the moves, and imagine the pockets, holds, ridges etc.), I found the beginning a struggle to get through. Not only because of the technical climbing vocabulary, but also because the character of Tamma needed time to get used to and to evolve. (I don’t believe that anyone uses the word ‘dude’ that often to be honest, but luckily her language got more creative and smarter further on). The whole story needed time to develop really, because in the end, Crux is not only about climbing, it’s also about poverty, family, friendship, depression, growing up & having dreams and working hard.
I had some trouble early on, but I raced through the rest of this novel and on the whole enjoyed it.
Thank you Riverhead Books and Edelweiss for the ARC.
January 18, 2026
3.5⭐️
I mean it’s alright like…
I’ll admit, I had pretty high hopes for this one, but I felt like this did not deliver what I thought it would give. Yes, it deals with friendship on the brink of big changes. Yes, there is some fantastic ameliorations on doing what you love vs. doing what is expected of you. However, all of that does not excuse that there are some weird writing choices and (in my opinion) way too much rock climbing jargon. If I never have to read the word “dude” for the rest of my life, I will be a happy individual.
Also, I don’t know if anyone else saw this, but why are there some of the brand names (e.g. Walmart, Levi’s, Target) not capitalized? Is this like a subtle anti-capitalist thing or something? I don’t know. I’m confused.
Overall, not bad, just not the way I wanted to start my BOTM journey this year…
I mean it’s alright like…
I’ll admit, I had pretty high hopes for this one, but I felt like this did not deliver what I thought it would give. Yes, it deals with friendship on the brink of big changes. Yes, there is some fantastic ameliorations on doing what you love vs. doing what is expected of you. However, all of that does not excuse that there are some weird writing choices and (in my opinion) way too much rock climbing jargon. If I never have to read the word “dude” for the rest of my life, I will be a happy individual.
Also, I don’t know if anyone else saw this, but why are there some of the brand names (e.g. Walmart, Levi’s, Target) not capitalized? Is this like a subtle anti-capitalist thing or something? I don’t know. I’m confused.
Overall, not bad, just not the way I wanted to start my BOTM journey this year…
did-not-finish
January 22, 2026DNF @ p79
Pre-Read Notes:
"Crux" is for some reason one my husband's favorite words. "Crux of the biscuit" is something he says as an idiom translating to "basically" or "in essence". He's said it for all the many years I've known him. I found out it's a lyric from a really old song, like 1974, from a song called "Stink Foot!" I find all this hilarious. And because of this weird thing with this word, I couldn't pass on an arc!
Final Review
(thoughts & recs) It's a coming of age story that is begrudging about making its point. I didn't make it very far here as I found the style unapproachable. See my reading notes for more.
A Few Things:
✔️ This book contains so much repetition. Way too many instances of ever, very, and every- in this books. I mean hundreds of them. 245 instances of "every-". Just think-- each time Tallent writes everyone, everything, or any other such pronoun, it replaces actual details that remain obscur. 287 instances of "ever", which is an adverb and almost never necessary. And 97 instances of "very", which again is an adverb, and rarely necessary. I was already overwhelmed with these words by chapter 3.
✔️ The author uses improper dialogue structure and no dialog tags so it's not always clear who is speaking. And there is lots of dialog.
✔️ "Her session was disastrous . She’d pitch back into his arms and go staggering away, standing on one foot and then the other, taking off her TC pros, hurling them out into the desert, hinging at the waist to shriek after them. Then she’d hobble about barefoot, wrenching at her hair. Dan would wordlessly bring her shoes back, soaked with fear-sweat. Finally, she was pressing herself up from the roof, her right heel hooked in a pocket , her left foot dangling, when Tinkerbell’s Bandersnatch greased out from under her." p54 Jargon is fine in books as long as the writer provides enough context to infer meaning. This is not that. There is too much of it and I don't understand what many of the terms mean when I read them.
Content Notes: heights, falling, high school, burgeoning adulthood,
Thank you to Gabriel Tallent, Riverhead Books, and NetGalley for an accessible digital copy of CRUX. All views are mine.
Pre-Read Notes:
"Crux" is for some reason one my husband's favorite words. "Crux of the biscuit" is something he says as an idiom translating to "basically" or "in essence". He's said it for all the many years I've known him. I found out it's a lyric from a really old song, like 1974, from a song called "Stink Foot!" I find all this hilarious. And because of this weird thing with this word, I couldn't pass on an arc!
Final Review
(thoughts & recs) It's a coming of age story that is begrudging about making its point. I didn't make it very far here as I found the style unapproachable. See my reading notes for more.
A Few Things:
✔️ This book contains so much repetition. Way too many instances of ever, very, and every- in this books. I mean hundreds of them. 245 instances of "every-". Just think-- each time Tallent writes everyone, everything, or any other such pronoun, it replaces actual details that remain obscur. 287 instances of "ever", which is an adverb and almost never necessary. And 97 instances of "very", which again is an adverb, and rarely necessary. I was already overwhelmed with these words by chapter 3.
✔️ The author uses improper dialogue structure and no dialog tags so it's not always clear who is speaking. And there is lots of dialog.
✔️ "Her session was disastrous . She’d pitch back into his arms and go staggering away, standing on one foot and then the other, taking off her TC pros, hurling them out into the desert, hinging at the waist to shriek after them. Then she’d hobble about barefoot, wrenching at her hair. Dan would wordlessly bring her shoes back, soaked with fear-sweat. Finally, she was pressing herself up from the roof, her right heel hooked in a pocket , her left foot dangling, when Tinkerbell’s Bandersnatch greased out from under her." p54 Jargon is fine in books as long as the writer provides enough context to infer meaning. This is not that. There is too much of it and I don't understand what many of the terms mean when I read them.
Content Notes: heights, falling, high school, burgeoning adulthood,
Thank you to Gabriel Tallent, Riverhead Books, and NetGalley for an accessible digital copy of CRUX. All views are mine.
July 17, 2025
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. The rock climbing in this book and the geographical setting was so interesting as I read. The energy from the intensity of the friendship between the characters was definitely palpable and their development was very well written out. The relatable part is the way friendships ebb and flow with the personality differences whether it’s your class, your future, and everything in between. They say this is a soul-searching novel and that vibe is heavy throughout the plot and makes it reach inside and squeeze something we can all relate to no matter what age we are.
January 19, 2026
4.5 stars - rounding up! 👏
“It was terror and exposure to love someone and here she was, staring down the highway, and all about her, people ruined, lost, alone, choked at the cruxes of their lives.”
“It was terror and exposure to love someone and here she was, staring down the highway, and all about her, people ruined, lost, alone, choked at the cruxes of their lives.”
January 15, 2026
Two stars just because I learned a bit about rock climbing, zero stars for every other aspect of this book. It reads like the author lifted paragraphs from his horrible teenage journal in a desperate attempt to make his high school protagonists seem believable. News flash/potential spoiler alert, using terms like “fingerbang”, “carpet muncher”, “bandersnatch” and “donkey dick” every few pages doesn’t create authenticity for a teen voice.
January 26, 2026
Why does a male author insist on writing a teenage girl's inner voice? That was my question when I was reading this novel. I was once a teenage girl. Even though it was a long time ago, I can recall how I felt and how I was feeling. I never felt Tamma was a teenage girl. She talked like a man who pretended to be a teenage girl, which made my reading experience less enjoyable. DIdn't enjoy this book at all.
After having tried 2 of his book, I think I'm done with Gabriel Tallent.
After having tried 2 of his book, I think I'm done with Gabriel Tallent.
September 30, 2025
Crux is a novel about two best friends coming of age with dreams of rock climbing, and real life getting in the way of their dreams. Tamma and Dan live in Calfornia near Joshua Tree National Park, where they're in their senior year of high school. Previously their mothers were best friends, but now Dan's parents see Tamma as a bad influence, an unpredictable queer girl without a future, and in the way of Dan going to college. Dan and Tamma have rock climbing plans, but without money, it's more of a gamble than usual, and they have to rely on their belief in one another.
Having enjoyed Tallent's previous novel, My Absolute Darling, I went for Crux even though it didn't immediately jump out as the sort of book I'd read, and I'm really glad that I did. It is a vivid picture of growing up poor in California and trying to have dreams when the only person who believes in your dreams is your best friend, and it is packed full of emotion and dusty, dangerous climbing. Even without knowing a lot of the context (I'm not American, I've never done rock climbing like that), I felt like I immediately was immersed in the vibe of the book and connected to the characters, especially Tamma. She's such a standout character—a queer, seemingly feral girl who has a lot more depth than anyone other than Dan gives her credit for, and who ends up not only facing the harsh realities of her rock climbing dreams, but also putting so much work into caring for her sister's children.
Crux is about friendship and the reality of who gets what kinds of dreams, and it is a powerful book that is as tense in its interpersonal scenes as its rock climbing ones. It really surprised me, a slow burn that drew me into the world of the characters so I felt wrung out by the end.
Having enjoyed Tallent's previous novel, My Absolute Darling, I went for Crux even though it didn't immediately jump out as the sort of book I'd read, and I'm really glad that I did. It is a vivid picture of growing up poor in California and trying to have dreams when the only person who believes in your dreams is your best friend, and it is packed full of emotion and dusty, dangerous climbing. Even without knowing a lot of the context (I'm not American, I've never done rock climbing like that), I felt like I immediately was immersed in the vibe of the book and connected to the characters, especially Tamma. She's such a standout character—a queer, seemingly feral girl who has a lot more depth than anyone other than Dan gives her credit for, and who ends up not only facing the harsh realities of her rock climbing dreams, but also putting so much work into caring for her sister's children.
Crux is about friendship and the reality of who gets what kinds of dreams, and it is a powerful book that is as tense in its interpersonal scenes as its rock climbing ones. It really surprised me, a slow burn that drew me into the world of the characters so I felt wrung out by the end.
November 18, 2025
I know nothing about climbing, but I still loved this novel. The story follows two poor teenagers living in the desert who are obsessed with climbing. They’re the children of former best friends—adults disappointed in their own lives and unsure how to love their kids. Yet somehow, these two unlikely friends learn to love and rely on each other.
The book is about responsibility and dreams, filled with sharp observations and genuinely laugh-out-loud moments.
As for the synopsis: Tamma and Dan want one thing—**to climb**. Their dream is to become “dirtbags,” living for the sport. They plan to run away right after graduation. But Dan has real academic promise, and his parents expect him to go to college. Tamma unexpectedly finds herself responsible for her sister’s children. Will they chase their dreams or remain bound to their families—and can their friendship survive the strain?
Want to read
May 22, 2025CAN'T WAIT
January 14, 2026
First half of the book: ⭐️⭐️
Second half:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cons:
Hurried and calloused effort to create deep connections with the characters.
I was really excited to learn about the intricacies of climbing, but without prior expert knowledge I found myself lost in sections that were loaded with unexplained jargon, which inevitably distracted from the mental picture I think the author was trying to create.
If you’re sensitive to babies being injured/NICU… this is your TW.
Pros:
A great reminder that support/friendship are critical to any and every dream, no matter the stage of life.
“Tell me my life isn't useless, the way it feels useless to me, every day. Tell me I have some dignity left. Tell me that we can still be friends. Tell me that I am not alone.”
Second half:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cons:
Hurried and calloused effort to create deep connections with the characters.
I was really excited to learn about the intricacies of climbing, but without prior expert knowledge I found myself lost in sections that were loaded with unexplained jargon, which inevitably distracted from the mental picture I think the author was trying to create.
If you’re sensitive to babies being injured/NICU… this is your TW.
Pros:
A great reminder that support/friendship are critical to any and every dream, no matter the stage of life.
“Tell me my life isn't useless, the way it feels useless to me, every day. Tell me I have some dignity left. Tell me that we can still be friends. Tell me that I am not alone.”
January 18, 2026
I’m sorry this just wasn’t for me. I am all for writing about a niche topic like rock climbing but some context would’ve been nice. Also the characters were so hard to follow, who talks like that ??
August 17, 2025
Dan and Tamma are the best of friends, so close that they can almost read each other's thoughts. They have a shared love of rock climbing, a passion they try to fulfill every day in the Mojave Desert in California. Both are seniors in high school and come from dysfunctional families that are very different from one another. Dan's mother was a young prodigy, having written a very brilliant and critically well-received novel when she was just 18 years old. Now, she rarely leaves her room. She suffers from profound depression as well as heart problems. Tamma's mother is emotionally abusive. Her father, who has since left, was so physically abusive to Tamma that he broke her jaw when she was little.
Dan is doing great in school and his parents want him to go to college. He is conflicted about this, wanting to continue rock climbing with Tamma. However, his intellect and character make him a great student. Tamma has dreams of going far in the rock climbing world. She is a loud mouth and hates school.. Her jaw clicks from the time her father broke it. Most days, she doesn't even attend her classes. They are both poor and don't have the money for adequate climbing gear. They make do with what they have but there is danger in this.
I read Mr. Tallent's first book, My Absolute Darling, and loved it. I didn't feel the same way about Crux. While I enjoyed reading it, it was too filled with climbing terminology, most of which I was completely unfamiliar with and, to be honest, not that interested in. I wish that the technical aspects of climbing had been focused on less. What I really enjoyed was reading about Tamma and Dan, their lives, friendship and dreams.
This is a sparkling novel about adolescent friendship and coming of age. I thank NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an early review copy. This novel is slated to be published in January 2026.
Dan is doing great in school and his parents want him to go to college. He is conflicted about this, wanting to continue rock climbing with Tamma. However, his intellect and character make him a great student. Tamma has dreams of going far in the rock climbing world. She is a loud mouth and hates school.. Her jaw clicks from the time her father broke it. Most days, she doesn't even attend her classes. They are both poor and don't have the money for adequate climbing gear. They make do with what they have but there is danger in this.
I read Mr. Tallent's first book, My Absolute Darling, and loved it. I didn't feel the same way about Crux. While I enjoyed reading it, it was too filled with climbing terminology, most of which I was completely unfamiliar with and, to be honest, not that interested in. I wish that the technical aspects of climbing had been focused on less. What I really enjoyed was reading about Tamma and Dan, their lives, friendship and dreams.
This is a sparkling novel about adolescent friendship and coming of age. I thank NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an early review copy. This novel is slated to be published in January 2026.
August 16, 2025
Crux by Gabriel Tallent is an engaging, provocative novel about two teenagers - Tamma, the bright-star wannabe whose nature isn't inhibited by the small town in the shadow of the Joshua Tree National Park she lives in and Dan, her best friend. The friendship between these two is the core of this novel as is their shared passion for scaling the most dangerous peaks of the Park.
Tamma is especially well drawn, a fascinating and unique character, and she leads us into this world. Tallent's writing is modern and engaging, and Crux pulls the reader in quickly and thrillingly. I read this one quickly in one sitting, up late into the night. I'll be seeking out Tallent's first novel on the back of this one.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.
Tamma is especially well drawn, a fascinating and unique character, and she leads us into this world. Tallent's writing is modern and engaging, and Crux pulls the reader in quickly and thrillingly. I read this one quickly in one sitting, up late into the night. I'll be seeking out Tallent's first novel on the back of this one.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.
December 10, 2025
DNF around 35%.
I thought Gabriel Tallent's first book. My Absolute Darling, but I couldn't get on with this one.
The plot is about two youngsters who are obsessed with climbing. Tallent is also either somewhat obsessed with climbing, or has done a shitload of research and wants that to be very clear!
The book is so full of climbing jargon that I found it unreadable. Each climbing scene is intended to be tense but to me read as pages of incomprehensible climbing jargon followed by either he/she fell of or he/she did not fall off.
I understand the climbing is just the vehicle for the stories of the two main characters but I felt it dominated the text. The scenes where Tamma is looking after her sister's kids were the best parts I read, because there was no climbing terminology!
Perhaps this book ascends into something wonderful but I shall never reach the peak here as I wasn't enjoying it.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.
I thought Gabriel Tallent's first book. My Absolute Darling, but I couldn't get on with this one.
The plot is about two youngsters who are obsessed with climbing. Tallent is also either somewhat obsessed with climbing, or has done a shitload of research and wants that to be very clear!
The book is so full of climbing jargon that I found it unreadable. Each climbing scene is intended to be tense but to me read as pages of incomprehensible climbing jargon followed by either he/she fell of or he/she did not fall off.
I understand the climbing is just the vehicle for the stories of the two main characters but I felt it dominated the text. The scenes where Tamma is looking after her sister's kids were the best parts I read, because there was no climbing terminology!
Perhaps this book ascends into something wonderful but I shall never reach the peak here as I wasn't enjoying it.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.
January 29, 2026
I am a total sucker for a platonic love story, which at its core I feel this is. I adore both of these characters and felt so deeply for them.
Gabriel Talent writes the inner lives of teenagers so realistically. I found myself rolling my eyes and laughing out loud at some of their comments and monologues but only because they are teens.
I was also completely mesmerized by the super detailed descriptions of climbing that, while going totally over my head, were deeply entertaining.
Gabriel Talent writes the inner lives of teenagers so realistically. I found myself rolling my eyes and laughing out loud at some of their comments and monologues but only because they are teens.
I was also completely mesmerized by the super detailed descriptions of climbing that, while going totally over my head, were deeply entertaining.
January 30, 2026
This one took me forever to get into - the climbing jargon threw me at first. But the character Tamma won me over! Ultimately this book is about friendship, found family and finding your place in the world. And lots about climbing, about which I learned so much!
January 18, 2026
Thank you Riverhead Books for this gifted ARC 🫶🏻
This book right here is going to win awards. It’s going to be big. And Gabriel Tallent deserves every bit of it.
It’s not a big “in your face” type of story. It doesn’t exactly center around a specific goal, but it does follow a clear timeline. I was a little hesitant to read it as the characters are high school seniors and I haven’t been loving YA books lately. But I would not consider this YA. Tamma is one of the funniest, most inappropriate characters I have ever read. Right away, she shows us her spunk. It was so unexpected that I actually laughed out loud. And Dan just goes right along with it.
This story contains emotional magnitudes. The reality of family dynamics, regardless of financial class. The internal struggles we all go through which are more similar than we realize. I cannot believe how strong these young people are and what they can overcome.
Now, I live in Florida, the flattest state in the USA. That being said, I don’t know squat about climbing. So a lot of this went wayyyyy over my head. However I do think the author knows what he’s talking about. And my reasoning for this is that I’m an invasive cardiovascular perioperative registered nurse, and Dan’s mom’s cardiac episode and following recovery were spot on. 100% accurate. So that gives me a feeling he wouldn’t write about something he doesn’t know about.
This book right here is going to win awards. It’s going to be big. And Gabriel Tallent deserves every bit of it.
It’s not a big “in your face” type of story. It doesn’t exactly center around a specific goal, but it does follow a clear timeline. I was a little hesitant to read it as the characters are high school seniors and I haven’t been loving YA books lately. But I would not consider this YA. Tamma is one of the funniest, most inappropriate characters I have ever read. Right away, she shows us her spunk. It was so unexpected that I actually laughed out loud. And Dan just goes right along with it.
This story contains emotional magnitudes. The reality of family dynamics, regardless of financial class. The internal struggles we all go through which are more similar than we realize. I cannot believe how strong these young people are and what they can overcome.
Now, I live in Florida, the flattest state in the USA. That being said, I don’t know squat about climbing. So a lot of this went wayyyyy over my head. However I do think the author knows what he’s talking about. And my reasoning for this is that I’m an invasive cardiovascular perioperative registered nurse, and Dan’s mom’s cardiac episode and following recovery were spot on. 100% accurate. So that gives me a feeling he wouldn’t write about something he doesn’t know about.
November 20, 2025
**3.5**
Crux is a character-driven novel about the relationship between best friends Dan and Tamma. They live to climb, and their climbing becomes a reflection on what it’s like growing up. They take risks; they choose what to hold or release; they fear failing as much as falling. Their way to becoming adults is painful and shaped by the expectations of both family and poverty.
At times I found the book difficult to follow. It wasn’t just the climbing terminology or American slang jargon, but the sudden shifts in scenes left me confused. Just as I was settling into one part, the story jumped somewhere else. This pattern of writing is repeated throughout the novel.
While it wasn’t the easiest book to navigate, there was something about both Dan and Tamma that touched my heart, and their lives continued to linger with me for days.
My thanks to Penguin General UK, Fig Tree, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Read
January 29, 2026DNF…I’m sorry. 17 year olds do not talk like that. At about page 300, I discovered, I just don’t care.
September 30, 2025
Gabriel Tallent is an unusually original writer who excels at portraying tough, survivalist young women who are often dismissed as trailer trash by others. In this book, he also has a bookish young male character who just might represent the writer himself.
Like his first book, "My Absolutely Darling," this one is not for the faint of heart. It's not a spoiler to say that the book involves blood, broken limbs, falls from a great height, parental abuse and betrayal. The true, deep and important friendship between the two young people, Tamma and Dan, illuminates the book and makes it possible to read without heartbreak.
The other star in this book is the portrayal of rock-climbing in the West. A great writer can bring any subject to vivid life and here Tallent does for rock-climbing what Patrick O'Brian did for 19th-century sailing in "Master and Commander." You don't have to sail to love those books and be fascinating by their portrayal of sailing. Similarly, you don't have climb mountains to be drawn into Tallent's description of what it's like to do it.
Like his first book, "My Absolutely Darling," this one is not for the faint of heart. It's not a spoiler to say that the book involves blood, broken limbs, falls from a great height, parental abuse and betrayal. The true, deep and important friendship between the two young people, Tamma and Dan, illuminates the book and makes it possible to read without heartbreak.
The other star in this book is the portrayal of rock-climbing in the West. A great writer can bring any subject to vivid life and here Tallent does for rock-climbing what Patrick O'Brian did for 19th-century sailing in "Master and Commander." You don't have to sail to love those books and be fascinating by their portrayal of sailing. Similarly, you don't have climb mountains to be drawn into Tallent's description of what it's like to do it.
November 24, 2025
Wow wow wow I loved everything about this novel. The desert setting, the two main characters you can't help but love and wish the best for, the challenging vocabulary both on the rockfaces and otherwise.
What an intensely beautiful examination of two young people trying to escape their circumstances. This is one I won't forget for a long time and has rocketed to the top of my 2026 list of best reads.
What an intensely beautiful examination of two young people trying to escape their circumstances. This is one I won't forget for a long time and has rocketed to the top of my 2026 list of best reads.
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