Book Review - The Sideways Life Of Denny Voss by Holly Kennedy

 

Denny is thirty years old and is developmentally challenged owing to a trauma his brain suffered during his birth.

One fine day, he is caught by the police, beside a sled full of guns. To make matters worse, one of the guns proves to be the weapon used to kill Henry, a candidate for the post of mayor. Everything about Denny is challenging – trying to getting him to talk, trying to get him to stop talking, or to stay focused on the topic. As Denny reveals bit by bit about himself and all the events that led him to the moment of holding the sled filled with guns, the readers get the whole picture – not just about what happened, but everything that Denny is and isn’t.

It must have been challenging to present the whole novel from the point of view of a developmentally retarded individual, and the author has done it efficiently. One can picture every action, every gesture and every expression of Denny as he expertly leads the reader into his immensely complicated yet oh-so-simple world.

What I loved most about this book is that, it shows both the positive and negative side of humanity. Denny has enough people trolling and mocking him, but the people supporting him and standing beside him far outnumber those against him. Of all the people with him, my favorite character is Angus, his cousin who always teases Denny, fights and argues with him, but can do anything for him. There are other memorable characters too and every character has earned their place in the story and adds value to the same.

This book is a beautiful mélange of several emotions – it will make you smile and laugh, it will hit you where it hurts the most and it will make you a believer in the good side of humanity. I cannot recommend this book enough. Definitely a must-read!