When Johnny Lancaster comes into Bonney’s Place, he hopes to find answers. Somebody stole a sum of money from his father and he wants retribution. At least, he wants the money back. It’s his inheritance. And it surely looks as though the person doing the stealing was Bonney McCamey himself, except Bonney’s not the type of person to steal from an old man, is he? Johnny decides to hang around awhile and find out.
What Johnny discovers–along with the limits of his personal endurance–is that passing judgment is a perilous endeavor. This Texas tavern and the unforgettable characters for whom it provides recreation and, in some cases a reason for living, reflect a far more complex reality than Johnny had anticipated. And in the person of Bonney himself, Johnny finds a man who is more than capable of stretching small truths and shading small sins, in order to prevent a larger miscarriage of justice.
This classic novel immerses the reader in a richly layered and vivid assemblage of rural Texas characters such as Rose- Mama, Turnip, Slat, Samuel Wilkerson Hobbs, Jr., and, of course, Bonney himself. Often hilariously funny, Bonney’s Place is a world of obvious weaknesses, enduring strengths, and the many small exaltations of life.