Ada Calhoun's Crush: A Novel (in conversation with Caitlin Shetterly)

Print: A Bookstore and SPACE Gallery present acclaimed author Ada Calhoun to discuss her first novel, Crush! The New York Times bestselling author of Why We Can't Sleep, Also a Poet, & St. Marks Is Dead will be in conversation with Maine writer Caitlin Shetterly.

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, Crush 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.

A New Yorker, TIME, Harper's Bazaar, Bustle, Lit Hub, AARP, Bloomberg, The Seattle Times and Vulture Most Anticipated Book of 2025

"The word 'crush' often conjures the innocence of adolescence — a time when your life story isn't yet written and anything is possible. But what happens when that dormant feeling is awakened in middle age? Ada Calhoun's Crush is a gripping fever dream of a book leading the reading into the beguiling depths of desire, ecstasy, and obsession." – Molly Ringwald

“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

Calhoun sign copies of Crush: A Novel after the performance. Pre-order your book via the ticket link!

Event Venue

SPACE, 538 Congress St, Portland, United States