Denny has a good life. He lives with his Nana-Jo, his elderly mother with his cousin, Angus, next door in the duplex. He has George, his rescued Saint Bernard. Denny is intellectually challenged, the result of a birth accident that kept oxygen from getting to his brain but he is quick to tell everyone his number is 72, and you're not retarded unless your number is seventy or less. He has a big sister named Lydia who he seldom saw and with whom he wasn't on good terms He works with Angus, the two of them riding the roads for the city, scooping up roadkill and various other tasks.
Their is one person Denny doesn't like. Henry Tesky employed Nana-Jo for years as the housekeeper. But when his first wife died and he quickly remarried, Nana-Jo was fired. Denny asked Mr. Tesky to give Nana-Jo her job back, but Tesky yelled at him and called him an idiot. Mr. Tesky is also running for town mayor and Denny hopes he doesn't win.
When Tesky is found killed, Denny ends up being arrested. He had been found near Tesky's house, on a sled full of guns. With the animosity between the two, Denny seems like the perfect suspect. He is put in jail where his lawyer and a doctor try to get the story of what happened from Denny. Denny, who never uses one sentence when twenty come to him, tells stories and hides from the truth of what happened that night and what he has found out about his life.
Holly Kennedy is a Canadian author. Her novel about Denny is delightful with plot twists and secrets that are slowly revealed. Denny is a lovely man, making the best of a life that has challenges and taking joy in the everyday events that we all have but most ignore. This book is recommended for literary fiction readers who also enjoy comedy.
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