Driving Sideways tells the story of Leigh Fielding, a twenty-eight year-old kidney transplant recipient who—six years, hundreds of dialysis sessions, and a million bad poems after being diagnosed with Polycystic Kidney Disease—finally feels strong enough to pursue a few lofty goals she’s been mulling for years: find herself, her kidney donor’s family, and the mother that abandoned her over twenty years ago. And what better way to do just that than a solitary road trip across the country? Well, maybe not entirely solitary, because Leigh suspects she may have inherited more than just an organ from her deceased donor. It’s this sneaking suspicion that takes her trip down some unexpected detours—and the juvenile delinquent who blackmails Leigh into giving her a ride is only the beginning.

About Polycystic Kidney Disease: Researchers are on the cusp of finding a cure for polycystic kidney disease (PKD), the disease that affects my protagonist and 12.5 million people worldwide. By raising awareness of this life-threatening and common genetic condition, perhaps we can help hasten the march to the cure. To learn more, visit: www.pkdcure.org.

Praise for Driving Sideways:

“…embracing both highs and lows, alternately hilarious, humiliating, and heartbreaking, often within the same sentence. Smart and funny without being forced, sentimental without being maudlin, Riley’s funny, picaresque vision of America will make readers wish they could go along with Leigh on her next trip.”
--Booklist

Driving Sideways is a gorgeous novel -- I LOVED it!! It's enjoyable, uplifting, and so so so funny and sparky. I found it hugely entertaining and very touching. Jess Riley's voice is irreverent and wonderful, and her writing is genius."
--Marian Keyes, internationally bestselling author of Anybody Out There?

“A hopeful and hilarious debut…Jess Riley may well be my new favorite author.”
--Jen Lancaster, bestselling author of Bitter is the New Black

“Brilliant…Jess Riley proves herself a huge new talent.”
--Kristy Kiernan, author of Catching Genius

“I loved it--LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVED it kind of loved it. I adore Leigh and want to bring her home with me. All the characters were unique, the relationships worked, and Riley avoided the easy ending. I could read her writing for days.”
--Eileen Cook, author of Unpredictable

DRIVING SIDEWAYS was one of eight finalists selected from over 600 applicants in the 2005 James Jones First Novel Fellowship.