The End of Vandalism is a 1994 novel by American author Tom Drury

Tom Drury

Thomas Jay Drury is an American writer.He was born in Iowa, in 1956, and received his bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Iowa in 1980....

. It was serialized heavily in The New Yorker

The New Yorker

The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...

 magazine prior to publication, and earned Drury a distinction from Granta

Granta

Granta is a literary magazine and publisher in the United Kingdom whose mission centers on its "belief in the power and urgency of the story, both in fiction and non-fiction, and the story’s supreme ability to describe, illuminate and make real." In 2007, The Observer stated, "In its blend of...

 magazine as one of the best American novelists under forty.



In 2006, the Grove/Atlantic press reissued the novel with an introduction by an unknown divinity student who'd been a fan of the book.



The novel was also chosen by GQ magazine as one of the 50 best of the last 50 years. It enjoys a cult status among fans of American Realism, small-town American Gothic, and the American vein of humor that includes such writers as Mark Twain

Mark Twain

Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...

 and Charles Portis

Charles Portis

Charles McColl Portis is an American author best known for his novels Norwood and the 1968 classic Western novel True Grit , both adapted as films. The latter also inspired a film sequel and made-for-TV movie sequel...

.