The End of Vandalism: A Novel

Ten years ago, Tom Drury's groundbreaking debut,The End of Vandalism,was serialized inThe New Yorker,was compared to the work of Sherwood Anderson and William Faulkner byUSA Today,and was named aBest Book of the Yearin multiple publications. Now, appearing simultaneously with his first new novel in six years, Drury's debut is back in print.

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 ofThe End of Vandalismis 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.

At turns hilarious and heart-breaking,The End of Vandalismis a radiant novel about the beauty and ache of modern life.