New Books Network Gabriel Tallent, "Crux" (Riverhead Books, 2025)
Feb 24, 2026
Gabriel Tallent, novelist known for vivid nature writing and intense portrayals of friendship and survival. He talks about learning to climb and weaving climbing into the narrative. He explains making technical climbing language readable. He explores crafting authentic, slang-rich dialogue and the bond between two teens. He frames the crux as a metaphor for risky life crossroads.
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Climbing Knowledge From Lived Experience
- Gabriel Tallent embeds deep climbing knowledge from personal experience to make the sport feel lived-in rather than explained.
- He learned in Utah, Joshua Tree, and Indian Creek and used real climbs and habits to invite non-climbers into the world without heavy exposition.
Cut Explanations To Preserve Momentum
- Cut explanatory drafts until jargon reads accessible and immersive rather than bogging the story down.
- Tallent began with a Moby Dick–style explanatory draft, then pared it back to keep narrative pace for readers and non-climbers.
Dialogues Borrowed From The Crag
- Tallent captures friendship voice by lifting and distilling the wildest, funniest lines he hears among climber friends.
- He often trims long circular conversations to a few 'fieriest' moments, like Tama narrating family prehistory aloud.
