To Melt the Stars is a collection of essays looking at love at first conversation, queerness, weird wedding days, motherhood, romance, baby loss, and intergenerational trauma, among other themes. Anna Vaught’s essays address dark and difficult themes, and do so without holding back, but that darkness is enlivened by a rhythm and buoyancy of language. These essays are rich in allusion, playful, and yet deeply personal, exploring love and loss in intimate ways.