Tiffany Hanssen's inaugural novel, "My Name Was Gerry Sass," presents a darkly humorous tale reminiscent of a Coen Brothers' film, set against the backdrop of 1980s Iowa. The story unfolds with crime, vengeance, and car chases, focusing on Gerry Sass, who does not survive past the first chapter but continues to play a pivotal role as he reflects on his life as a hit man in purgatory. Meanwhile, his daughter embarks on a drug-fueled car chase to avenge his murder.
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Hanssen will host a reading of her novel on Thursday at Once Upon a Crime Bookstore in Minneapolis. While the plot is fictional, she drew inspiration from her own family history. "Gerry is based very, very loosely on my own father," she shared. Although she and her father were not close, she often crafted stories about him. A DNA test during the pandemic connected her with half-siblings who provided additional, unflattering details about him. She noted, "No one had a full picture of him, and so what that allows for is a lot of speculation. In that way, the details were just enough to spark some fun."
The novel’s narrative begins in a small farm town during deer hunting season, where Gerry attempts to launder money through his classic country AM radio station. Hanssen, who grew up in Davenport, Iowa, and later worked on Garrison Keillor’s "Prairie Home Companion," infused her experiences from working at a family-owned radio station into the setting. She expressed a longing for the Midwest as she wrote: "The rural farm stuff was just so meaningful for me. I just wanted to throw it all in and go buy a farm again," she joked.
From the start, the story indicates a downward trajectory, as Gerry reflects on the obituary he keeps pre-written in his pocket. The narrative shifts between the perspectives of Gerry, his daughter, and a compassionate witness, Father Dan, who sees Gerry's murder unfold. Hanssen emphasized that the novel's focus is less about complex characters and more on individuals confronting their circumstances. She explained, "Each of them is now in a situation where they are dealing with the hand that they’ve been dealt. Gerry is having to come to terms with that, and he’s having to maybe make amends. It’s unclear whether he does or will or could—or even thinks he should. These are characters who just do the best with what they have, and I think that that's really all that we're all trying to do anyway."