# The Sideways Life of Denny Voss

By Holly Kennedy

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/the-sideways-life-of-denny-voss-a2408044/

Denny Voss earns money clearing roadkill in rural Minnesota and lives with Nana-Jo and his dog George. After a sled piled with guns crashes into a tree, he is charged with murdering a mayoral candidate. A court-appointed therapist asks the 30-year-old to explain the year that brought him here.

## What makes it funny?

Denny’s efforts to help can leave him kidnapping a goose or accidentally assisting a bank robbery. Readers still laugh about his attempt to bring Tom Hanks back to Canada, and single out his cousin Angus, whose abrasive behavior doesn’t stop them liking him.

### The comedy at work

Denny tells the story himself. Plans that seem reasonable as he explains them become much harder to defend once he puts them into practice. His cousin supplies another stream of jokes through the slogans on his T-shirts.

### Try this if…

Readers who like a family drama wrapped around a murder mystery have plenty to follow here. Book-group readers describe laughing and crying with Denny, and their affection extends to Nana-Jo. Listeners also praise the narration.

### Good to know

Gun violence drives the story, and Denny’s developmental disability shapes his experience. Readers describe substantial sadness alongside the comedy; some find the opening chaotic before it settles.

## What to expect

- Genre: Contemporary & literary · Mystery
- On the shelf: Coming of age
- Kind of humor: Situational comedy
- The atmosphere: Warmhearted
- Format: Novel
- Length: 335 pages
- Audiobook: 9 hr 5 min
- Published: 2025

## A few distinguishing details

- A murder defendant reconstructs his year
- Good intentions lead to increasingly serious trouble

## Sources & further reading

- Book information: [Apple Books unabridged audiobook](https://books.apple.com/gb/audiobook/the-sideways-life-of-denny-voss-a-novel-unabridged/id1803693514)
- Book information: [UBC Bookstore paperback](https://bookstore.ubc.ca/products/the-sideways-life-of-denny-voss)
- Reader discussion: [Muse reader leads, November 2026, part 7](https://facebook.com/groups/TwoGirlsMustReads/permalink/2189548168510996)
- Library catalog: [Sno-Isle Libraries catalog](https://sno-isle.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S121C2190280)
- Author commentary: [Holly Kennedy interview, Fresh Fiction](https://blog.freshfiction.com/holly-kennedy-a-loveable-man-with-diminished-mental-capacity-is-arrested-for-murder)
- Review: [Rosepoint Publishing review](https://rosepointpublishing.com/2024/12/24/the-sideways-life-of-denny-voss-a-novel-by-holly-kennedy-bookreview-tuesdaybookblog)
- Author commentary: [Holly Kennedy’s book description](https://www.hollykennedy.com/books)