The publication of Elizabeth Dewberry Vaughn’s first novel, Many Things Have Happened Since He Died , heralded the arrival of a gifted young writer whom Pat Conroy called “an absolute original.” In this funny and moving new book, she once again captures a vulnerable and passionate young woman’s spiritual and sexual awakening.

Sylvia Mullins feels most at home in the basement, playing her set of drums and thinking up country songs. She grew up bewildered by her grandfather’s inappropriate affection and frustrated by her father’s indifference to her. In junior high school, waiting for a Rapture that never came, she fell in unrequited love with the fatally insecure son of the football coach. Now, married to an older man who finds it difficult to express his feelings, she meets an attractive country singer named Jake, who welcomes her attention. For the first time in her life Sylvia feels ready to accept and follow her desires–only to discover that doing so is more complicated than she would have hoped.

Elizabeth Dewberry Vaughn belongs to that strong tradition of Southern writers who captivate us with their faithful and compelling visions of their corner of America. With Break the Heart of Me , in the voice of a bright, achingly real heroine coming into full awareness of her strengths, Elizabeth Dewberry Vaughn confirms the distinctive talent that is marking her as one of the leading writers of her generation.