Coming-of-age novel Crux by Gabriel Tallent hits the shelves on January 20.
The story, centred on intense friendship,
tackles Dan and Tamma, 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, but the polar opposites are bonded by one dream – a life beyond
their hometown, where they can continue their mutual passion for rock climbing.
As the term progresses, they are rocked and pulled apart by reality and
irreconcilable obligations such as differences in class, talent and prospects.
“To me, the book is about nursing a dream,
an ambitious, out-of-reach, maybe-impossible dream,” Gabriel said in an
interview, explaining his resonance with his new release.
“I have watched many of my closest friends
grapple with this, and I mean grapple. And yet, I have seen people sacrifice
everything to attain the highest levels of success only to find that it meant
nothing to them,” he added.
“I wanted to write about these two
desperate kids, throwing themselves into the pursuit of a perilous dream,
because it raises some of the questions that we all have to ask ourselves, over
and over again, as we fight to grow into the people we want to be.”
The author studied English at Willamette
University, with a focus on 18th-century cultural history.
This is his second book, following his New
York Times-bestselling debut titled My Absolute Darling.
