Synopses & Reviews
Caney Paxton wanted his cafe to have the biggest and brightest sign in Eastern Oklahoma-the "opening soon" part was supposed to be just a removable, painted notice. But a fateful misunderstanding gave Vietnam vet Caney the flashiest joke in the entire state. Twelve years later, the once-busy highway is dead and the sign is as worn as Caney, who hasn't ventured outside the diner since it opened. Then one blustery December day, a thirtyish Crow woman blows in with a three-legged dog in her arms and a long-buried secret on her mind. Hiring on as a carhop, Vena Takes Horse is soon shaking up business, the locals, and Caney's heart...as she teaches them all about generosity of spirit, love, and the possibility of promise-just like the sign says.
Synopsis
The roadside cafe was supposed to be called "The Honk and Holler", but the signmaker misunderstood owner Carney's directions and produced six-hundred dollars' worth of bright neon proclaiming "The Honk and Holler Opening Soon". Carney let it stand, and from the moment he opened his restaurant after returning from Vietnam in a wheelchair, he never ventured off the premises. Then Vena Takes Horse, a young, vibrant woman carrying a three-legged dog, enters not only Carney's cafe, but the lives of the regulars, and, eventually, Carney's heart. Tough, tender, gritty, and moving, this extraordinary story immerses thereader in a world of beautifully drawn, poignantly flawed characters who seek love and connection with each other.