The Sideways Life of Denny Voss

A Novel

By: Holly Kennedy

Narrated by: Andrew Eiden, Holly Kennedy

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2025 GILLER PRIZE

In this poignant and funny novel, a man who is defined by his limitations sets out to fight a murder charge—and discovers unexpected truths about himself, his family, and the world at large.

On the surface, Denny Voss’s life in rural Minnesota is a quiet one. At thirty years old, he lives at home with his elderly mother and his beloved blind and deaf Saint Bernard, George. He cleans up roadkill to help pay the bills. Though his prospects are limited by a developmental delay—the result of an accident at birth—Denny has always felt that he has “a good life.”

So how did he wind up being charged with the murder of a mayoral candidate—after crashing a sled full of guns into a tree?

As Denny awaits trial, his court-appointed therapist walks him through the events of the past year. Denny’s had other scuffles with the law, the first for kidnapping a neighbor’s cantankerous goose. And then there was the time he accidentally assisted in a bank robbery. It seems like whenever Denny tries to do the right thing, chaos ensues.

Untangling the events around the murder reveals even more painful truths about his family’s past. He’s always been surrounded by people who love him, but now it’s up to Denny to set his life on a new course.

©2025 by Holly Kennedy. (P)2025 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Andrew Eiden charmingly performs this first-person story of Denny Voss, which recounts a series of misunderstandings that lead to his conundrums and, eventually, his arrest for murder. Thirty-year-old Denny is cognitively challenged, and Eiden's portrayal displays Denny's persistent optimism and heart of gold in a natural way.… At the audiobook's end, author Holly Kennedy conversationally describes her reasons for writing a respectful, amusing story based on a developmentally disabled character. Listeners will, no doubt, root for Denny, too.”—AudioFile Magazine, Earphones Award Winner

“Original, deftly crafted, and told with author Holly Kennedy’s distinctive and narrative driven storytelling style…Unreservedly recommended.”—Midwest Book Review

“The Sideways Life of Denny Voss will be a modern classic. Kennedy’s Denny is not idealized. Instead, he is fully revealed, with a clarity not seen in the pages of a novel since Carson McCullers wrote The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter. His story is a meditation on justice, bigotry, gun violence, and equity. Read it, perhaps as I did, all night, in one sitting, then look deep into your own community—and into your own heart.”—Jacquelyn Mitchard, New York Times bestselling author of The Deep End of the Ocean

Loved this book!

It was written and narrated with excellence. Denny’s personality came through clearly. This book made me laugh, cry and appreciate the differences in human beings.

Absolutely incredible

This book is full of heart, just like its characters. You will laugh, cry, and feel everything in between. A marvelous, refreshing story. I adore Denny!

Beautiful story about humanity and empathy and love.

Fell in love with Denny and George. Very sweet story about a special human and his dog.

A different coming of age story

A very refreshing view point of life and its nuances. Also, the narrator is one of the best one can find.

I needed this book!

I'd been having a hard time finding a book i connected with. This book was just what I needed.