by Billie Letts
First published 1998
In a dead-end Oklahoma town, the once-bustling Honk and Holler Opening Soon diner sits in decay. Its owner, Vietnam vet Caney Paxton, has hidden away for 12 years, until a Crow woman named Vena blows in with a three-legged dog and a long-buried secret. As Vena takes a job as a carhop and starts shaking up the locals, she discovers Caney's own wounds and makes it her mission to mend both the diner and its haunted owner. In the process, she teaches them all about the power of generosity, love, and the promise of a new beginning.
Genres: fiction, romance, literary-fiction, contemporary
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, second-chance
Setting: Oklahoma
290 pages · Paperback · Grand Central Pub