Crux

A heart-stopping story of friendship, thrill-seeking and defying expectations

'Tender, immersive, and thrilling' GABRIELLE ZEVIN, author of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

'One of the best novels I've ever read about friendship between a young man and a young woman ... Exciting and tension filled' STEPHEN KING

'A breathtaking, thrilling and unforgettable story of friendship, of hopes and dreams against a reality so harsh it broke my heart' CHRIS WHITAKER, author of All the Colours of the Dark

'An adrenalized, heart-stopping, stomach-lurching ride of the highest stakes' ELIZABETH GILBERT

'Profound and stunning ... It will make you question yourself and every one of your beliefs' LIZ NUGENT, author of The Truth About Ruby Cooper and Strange Sally Diamond

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''All this is, is the thing we’ve always known: we have nothing and nobody except each other. But that, we have in spades. Now, let’s go climb rocks."

Dan and Tamma are two teenagers growing up in the shadow of California’s Joshua Tree National Park. One is a gifted golden child, the other a mouthy burnout. Climbing boulders in trash-strewn parking lots during cold desert nights, their friendship is forged as they dream of a life of adventure.

As their final year of high school unfolds and adult reality looms, they are rocked by change and pulled apart by irreconcilable obligations. And as their climbs become ever more dangerous, and their home lives ever more extreme, it’s inevitable that something is going to snap...