Crush: A Novel in Bloomington, MN

A
New Yorker, Washington Post
,
TIME, Harper's Bazaar
Bustle, Lit Hub, Zibby Owens
Marie Claire
AARP, Bloomberg, The Millions
The Seattle Times
and
Vulture
Most Anticipated Book of 2025 "Ada Calhoun writes with absolute clarity about the giddiest and most destabilizing feeling--the crush. This novel made me feel dizzy and I loved every second. Calhoun can seduce me any day of the week."
--Emma Straub,
New York Times
bestselling author of
This Time Tomorrow
When a husband asks his wife to consider what might be missing from their marriage, what follows surprises them both--sex, heartbreak and heart rekindling, and a rediscovered sense of all that is possible
She's happy and settled and productive and content in her full life--a child, a career, an admirable marriage, deep friendships, happy parents, and a spouse she still loves. But when her husband urges her to address what the narrow labels of "husband" and "wife" force them to edit out of their lives, the very best kind of hell breaks loose. Using the author's personal experiences as a jumping-off point,
Crush
is about the danger and liberation of chasing desire, the havoc it can wreak, and most of all the clear sense of self one finds when the storm passes. Destined to become a classic novel of marriage, and tackling the big questions being asked about partnership in postpandemic relationships,
is a sharp, funny, seductive, and revelatory novel about holding on to everything it's possible to love--friends, children, parents, passion, lovers, husbands, all of the world's good books, and most of all one's own deep sense of purpose.