Crux is a powerful modern coming-of-age novel set in the stark beauty of the southern Mojave Desert. Deeply moving, it follows two high school seniors growing up in the shadow of Joshua Tree National Park, where rock climbing is more than a passion—it’s a way of life. This is not an easy story, but it’s challenging in the way a true crux should be: demanding, unavoidable, and ultimately clarifying. Like a great climb, the struggle is real—and the reward is unforgettable. 

Crux is the second novel by the 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.

Hardcover - 216 pages - Riverhead Books, 2026