In \u201cCrush,\u201d Ada Calhoun\u2019s fiction debut, a woman\u2019s carefully constructed life implodes when her husband suggests opening their marriage. What follows is a narrative both exhilarating and exhausting\u2014a midlife awakening that encompasses intellectual connection, sensual discovery, and spiritual revelation. The novel attempts to dismantle conventional notions of fidelity while exploring one woman\u2019s journey toward authentic selfhood after decades of prioritizing others\u2019 needs.<\/p>\n
Calhoun, best known for her nonfiction works like \u201cWhy We Can\u2019t Sleep\u201d and the celebrated memoir \u201cAlso a Poet,\u201d brings her characteristic blend of cultural analysis and personal revelation to this story. While the novel shines in its portrayal of intellectual desire and midlife reinvention, it struggles with uneven character development<\/a> and occasionally veers into spiritual territory that may alienate some readers.<\/p>\n Our unnamed narrator is a successful ghostwriter, wife to Paul (a perpetually unfulfilled artist), and mother to teenage Nate. She\u2019s built her identity around responsibility\u2014supporting her family financially, tending to her dying father, and maintaining friendships. Her long-term marriage to Paul has reached a comfortable, if sexually limited, plateau.<\/p>\n When Paul suggests she could explore kissing other men, it unlocks something dormant within her. During a research trip to London, she kisses an old friend, and upon returning home, begins corresponding with David, a religious studies professor from college. What begins as literary exchange escalates into emotional intimacy<\/a> that surpasses anything in her marriage:<\/p>\n Their eventual physical encounter in California transcends sex, becoming a full-blown mystical experience that permanently alters her perception. This awakening forces a reevaluation of her marriage, ultimately leading to divorce and a cautious reconstruction of her life with David at its center.<\/p>\n Calhoun\u2019s greatest achievement is her nuanced portrayal of desire past 40. The narrator\u2019s awakening feels simultaneously ridiculous and profound\u2014which is precisely how these midlife revelations often manifest. The intensity of her connection with David is made believable through their shared literary references and philosophical explorations<\/a>.<\/p>\n The novel excels when depicting the heady rush of intellectual attraction:<\/p>\n While the narrator is fully realized, other characters sometimes function more as plot devices than people. Paul shifts between enlightened polyamorist and petulant child as the narrative requires. David remains somewhat idealized\u2014his flaws conveniently align with the narrator\u2019s needs. The only exception is Veronica, the narrator\u2019s closest friend, whose pragmatic advice provides necessary ballast.<\/p>\n The novel overflows with references to philosophers, poets, and novelists\u2014from Ralph Waldo Emerson to Whitman to Auden. This richness will delight literary readers but might alienate others:<\/p>\n These literary touchpoints sometimes feel like intellectual showcasing rather than organic elements of the narrator\u2019s internal life.<\/p>\n The most divisive aspect of \u201cCrush\u201d by Ada Calhoun is its portrayal of sex with David as a religious experience. The narrator describes it as transcendent and life-altering:<\/p>\n This mystical framing risks reducing a complex human relationship to something divinely sanctioned, potentially absolving the narrator of responsibility for her choices. It\u2019s a risky narrative strategy that some readers will find profound while others may see it as convenient justification.<\/p>\nThe Plot: When \u201cGood\u201d Women Go Rogue<\/h2>\n
\u201cWe read a book about Kabbalah that talked about \u2018a fallen spark from the World of Love.\u2019<\/h4>\n
Yes! I thought. That\u2019s what I\u2019ve caught! A spark!\u201d<\/h4>\n
Critical Analysis: Strengths and Weaknesses<\/h2>\n
Eloquent Exploration of Midlife Desire<\/h3>\n
\u201cI\u2019d been having sex for decades by that point. I thought I was good at it. I would have said before that moment that I\u2019d had plenty of good sex. And yet on that day, it felt as though I were doing everything for the first time.\u201d<\/h4>\n
Uneven Character Development<\/h3>\n
Literary Aspirations vs. Accessibility<\/h3>\n
\u201cMy desire was everything I\u2019d been led to believe was possible when in my adolescence I\u2019d encountered the erotic one-two punch of Jane Eyre and the Family Ties episode where Michael J. Fox gets together with Tracy Pollan.\u201d<\/h4>\n
The Spiritual Experience Problem<\/h3>\n
\u201cEvery hair on my body stands up, straining to hear the next line. My breath, his breath, the fan all breathe in and out together, rising and falling. The bed is made of moss, the sheets giant green leaves, as alive as we are.\u201d<\/h4>\n
Thematic Strengths<\/h2>\n
Reimagining Marriage<\/h3>\n