On the HahaFiction shelf
The Sideways Life of Denny Voss
Audiobook available · 9 hr 5 min
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.
From the author’s blurb
“In this poignant and funny novel”Read the full description at Holly Kennedy, official book description
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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.
A few distinguishing details
- A murder defendant reconstructs his year
- Good intentions lead to increasingly serious trouble
More funny coming of age
Sources & further reading
- Apple Books unabridged audiobook
Book information
- UBC Bookstore paperback
Book information
- Muse reader leads, November 2026, part 7
Reader discussion
- Sno-Isle Libraries catalog
Library catalog
- Holly Kennedy interview, Fresh Fiction
Author commentary
- Rosepoint Publishing review
Review
- Holly Kennedy’s book description
Author commentary
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