A Sharp Endless Need: A Novel
LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD FINALIST • A vibrant and intimate novel about growing up, first love, and all the joy and heartbreak of competitive high school basketball, from the Lambda Literary Award–winning author of I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself
“Deeply affecting . . . Crane’s writing drives forward hard and fast. . . . Knowledge of the sport isn’t required to understand the novel; all you need is a familiarity with loving something to the point of pain.”—Casey McQuiston, The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Elle, them, Book Riot
Star point guard Mack Morris’s senior year of high school begins with twin cataclysms: the death of Mack’s father and the arrival of transfer student Liv Cooper. Playing side by side for their high school basketball team, Mack and Liv discover an electrifying, game-winning chemistry on the court. Off the court, they fall into an equally intoxicating more-than-friendship—one that feels out-of-bounds in their small Pennsylvania town. Mack teeters on the precipice of adulthood as desire and grief collide with drugs, sex, and the looming college signing deadline. Caught between the dual impulses of ambition and self-destruction, Mack must decide what kind of life they want to fight for.
Written with the lush longing of André Aciman’s Call Me by Your Name, the obsessive attention of Jean Kyoung Frazier’s Pizza Girl, and the sweeping romance of the beloved film Love & Basketball, A Sharp Endless Need is a stunning testament to the big feelings of coming of age, falling in love, and, of course, playing sports.
“Deeply affecting . . . Crane’s writing drives forward hard and fast. . . . Knowledge of the sport isn’t required to understand the novel; all you need is a familiarity with loving something to the point of pain.”—Casey McQuiston, The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Elle, them, Book Riot
Star point guard Mack Morris’s senior year of high school begins with twin cataclysms: the death of Mack’s father and the arrival of transfer student Liv Cooper. Playing side by side for their high school basketball team, Mack and Liv discover an electrifying, game-winning chemistry on the court. Off the court, they fall into an equally intoxicating more-than-friendship—one that feels out-of-bounds in their small Pennsylvania town. Mack teeters on the precipice of adulthood as desire and grief collide with drugs, sex, and the looming college signing deadline. Caught between the dual impulses of ambition and self-destruction, Mack must decide what kind of life they want to fight for.
Written with the lush longing of André Aciman’s Call Me by Your Name, the obsessive attention of Jean Kyoung Frazier’s Pizza Girl, and the sweeping romance of the beloved film Love & Basketball, A Sharp Endless Need is a stunning testament to the big feelings of coming of age, falling in love, and, of course, playing sports.
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Community Reviews
4⭐️ – A poignant, raw queer coming-of-age story
A Sharp Endless Need by Marisa Crane is a beautifully written and emotionally charged exploration of grief, identity, addiction, and love. Following a high school senior as she struggles with profound loss and self-discovery, this story doesn’t shy away from the messy, painful parts of growing up queer.
Even with zero basketball knowledge, I found the game chapters surprisingly compelling—intense and immersive, they added a strong emotional undercurrent to the narrative.
A moving and reflective read. 3.5 stars, rounded up for its emotional depth and honesty.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
A Sharp Endless Need by Marisa Crane is a beautifully written and emotionally charged exploration of grief, identity, addiction, and love. Following a high school senior as she struggles with profound loss and self-discovery, this story doesn’t shy away from the messy, painful parts of growing up queer.
Even with zero basketball knowledge, I found the game chapters surprisingly compelling—intense and immersive, they added a strong emotional undercurrent to the narrative.
A moving and reflective read. 3.5 stars, rounded up for its emotional depth and honesty.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
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