End of Vandalism

'A masterpiece ... one of the past half-century's finest novels'
INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

'takes you to wonderful places'
GUARDIAN

'A major figure in American literature, author of a string of novels without a dud in the bunch ... Drury gives us the wondrous and engaging stuff of real storytelling'
NEW YORK TIMES

'If you read The End of Vandalism you will become one of those people who try to foist it upon other people, your eyes shining with the unsettling delight of having lived through it.'
JON MCGREGOR

'Astonishing ... Drury's descriptions are so tangible that it feels almost surprising that his characters don't wander out of the pages and shake you by the hand ... The best way to do justice to the book is to urge you to read it. When I first saw a copy I noted that Jonathan Franzen was quoted on the front. At the time, I thought Drury had done well to get such an endorsement. Now I've read The End of Vandalism, I realise it's the other way round. To be associated with something this good would be an honour for any writer.'
INDEPENDENT

'Brilliant, wonderfully funny ... It's hard to think of any novel -- let alone a first novel -- in which you can hear the people so well. This is indeed deadpan humour, and Tom Drury is its master'
ANNIE DILLARD

'Wry, dry and genuinely funny ... Drury has...the ability to create a world readers can really immerse themselves in'
DAILY MAIL

'A rare master at the art of seeing.'
YIYUN LI

'The always fresh perspective of this one-of-a-kind writer will have you responding like his character who ''laughed with surprise in her heart''.'
KIRKUS REVIEWS --...

Welcome to Grouse County, somewhere in the Midwest, where the towns are small but the people, their dreams and their eccentricities come in all sizes.
When Sheriff Dan Norman arrests local troublemaker Tiny Darling for vandalising an anti-vandalism dance, he does not expect much in the way of fallout. But unseen wheels have been set in motion, and lives will be changed: Dan finds love, Tiny loses his wife Louise, and all three travel an epic journey of the heart.
The End of Vandalism is full of small miracles of observation, compassion and humour, held together by the 'electric deadpan' of Drury's celebrated style. For readers willing to tune in, the experience will be a revelation.