The End of Vandalism

Ten years ago, Tom Drury's groundbreaking debut, <i>The End of Vandalism,</i> was serialized in <i>The New Yorker,</i> was compared to the work of Sherwood Anderson and William Faulkner by <i>USA Today,</i> and was named a <i>Best Book of the Year</i> in multiple publications. Now, appearing simultaneously with his first new novel in six years, Drury's debut is back in print.<br> <br> Welcome to Grouse County -- a fictional Midwest that is at once familiar and amusingly eccentric -- where a thief vacuums the church before stealing the chalice, a lonely woman paints her toenails in a drafty farmhouse, and a sleepless man watches his restless bride scatter their bills beneath the stars. At the heart of <i>The End of Vandalism</i> is an unforgettable love triangle set off by a crime: Sheriff Dan Norman arrests Tiny Darling for vandalizing an anti-vandalism dance and then marries the culprit's ex-wife Louise. So Tiny loses Louise, Louise loses her sense of self, and the three find themselves on an epic journey.<br> <br> At turns hilarious and heart-breaking, <i>The End of Vandalism</i> is a radiant novel about the beauty and ache of modern life.<br>