THE SIDEWAYS LIFE OF DENNY VOSS
Holly Kennedy
Lake Union Publishing
April 8, 2025
330 pages
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Denny Voss is one of the most endearing characters I have ever met in a book. He is a 30-year-old man who happens to be developmentally delayed. He is kind, he is interested in the world around him, he is smart in his own way but also has an innocence about him. He has a deaf and blind St Bernard that he rescued, sleeps with him every night.
Circumstances lead him into all sorts of problematic situations. The worst of these situations is being charged with the murder of the town’s mayoral candidate. And, there are viable reasons that he could suspect. The reader learns about his escapades through flashbacks throughout the story. They are always told in his own voice, with lots and lots of side details. Denny is also a bit of a philosopher. He has life and the people around him figured out, quite accurately.
Besides Denny, there is so much to love about this story. The characters in town are quirky. Most are kind, but some are mean to Denny. Realistic presentation. The two main secondary characters are his mother, Nana-Jo and his cousin, Angus. Nana-Jo brought Denny up to be a confident young man. And, Angus (though he is odd) looks out for Denny in the day-to-day world outside of home.
There are lots of surprises as the tale unfolds. Some parts are actually laugh-out-loud funny. Other parts might have brought a tear to my eye.
This book brings me a whole new appreciation of the song, You’ve Got a Friend in Me, from Toy Story. It’s Denny’s comfort song.
This is one of my favourite quotes from Denny. Dare I call it a “Denny-ism”?
“I also know it hurts when someone you love dies, but I think it’s supposed to because if it didn’t they’d be easy to forget and who wants to forget all the louds and quiets about someone you love after they’re gone? Not me.”
I don’t usually do this in a review but I want to thank Ms Kennedy, the author, for the hard work and thought process she put into the creation of Denny’s character. The effort was definitely worth it. And, I appreciate the bits and pieces she pulled from her own life.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.
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