Built around a cattle industry now in decline, the town of Cow Eye Junction is experiencing a severe drought, a demographic incursion, and an ongoing cultural clash as older residents are displaced by a new wave of outsiders moving in.

The novel drew attention in September 2015 when Art Winslow, the longtime Nation books editor, argued in Harper's Magazine that it is the work of the American author Thomas Pynchon.

[5] The critic L. Best wrote that Anthony Perry is a journalist who, in the past, has written about conspiracy theories regarding Pynchon in various newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times.

The San Francisco Book Review wrote, "With quirky characters and impossible situations, Cow Country handles drought, institutional lunacy, racism, and romance with deft insight, as well as keen-edged satirical commentary.

"[11] In March 2017, it was announced that Cow Country was included in the long list for the Yasnaya Polyana Foreign Fiction Award, which is given annually by the estate of Leo Tolstoy.