Thank you to The Dial Press for sending me a copy of A Sharp Endless Need in exchange for an honest review.
A Sharp Endless Need by Marisa Crane
Star point guard Mack Morris starts her senior year reeling from two life-changing events: her father’s sudden death and the arrival of Liv Cooper, a talented transfer student with whom she shares undeniable chemistry – on and off the court. In their conservative 2004 Pennsylvania town, their deepening connection sparks more than just controversy. As grief, desire, and pressure mount, Mack must navigate the volatile space between who she was and who she’s becoming. Is she ready to fight for the future she wants, even if it means leaving everything else behind?
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I read Marisa Crane’s debut I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself when it came out in 2023, and it blew me away. A Sharp Endless Need is so different from their first novel, yet it feels like a perfect successor. Yes, it’s about teen basketball prodigies and not a speculative, dystopian future.
The themes and writing style, however, make for an entirely cohesive body of work. This coming-of-age novel is a poetic, rich and sharply written narrative of a queer person seeking purpose in their life. It’s about ambition and obsession, and reads like a slow-motion train wreck that you can’t look away from.
Part Reflection, Part Retelling
Part of A Sharp Endless Need’s success comes from Crane’s decision to have Mack narrate the novel from some point in the future. She’s looking back with wisdom on her teen years. While she doesn’t seem to regret her decisions, she does comment on what she wishes she had known as a teen. This stylistic choice results in a story that’s part reflection and part retelling, one in which the reader is intimately involved.
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In case you were wondering, you don’t have to know a lot about basketball to enjoy this book. Crane clearly does, and their passion for the game shines through. However, that passion, along with the intensity of high school life, allows readers who don’t know the sport well to appreciate Mack’s obsessive journey.
Set against the backdrop of small-town Pennsylvania, A Sharp Endless Need combines sharp, exhilarating sports writing with a raw, heartfelt exploration of grief, identity and the choices that shape us. It’s both a poignant coming-of-age novel and a love letter to basketball, perfect for anyone who has struggled to find their purpose.
A Sharp Endless Need comes out on May 13. It’s available for preorder now from your local independent bookstore or Bookshop.org.
TW: addiction, alcohol/alchoholism, biphobia, bullying, car accident, death of a parent, drug use/abuse, dysphoria, emotional abuse, grief, homophobia, injury/injury detail, lesbophobia, self-harm, sexual assault, sexual content, suicidal thoughts
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