Carry Me Down
M. J. Hyland 
Canongate Books
<p>Ireland, 1971, John Egan is a misfit, 'a twelve year old in the body of a
 grown man with the voice of a giant who insists on the ridiculous 
truth'. With an obsession for the Guinness Book of Records and faith in 
his ability to detect when adults are lying, John remains hopeful 
despite the unfortunate cards life deals him. During one year in John's 
life, from his voice breaking, through the breaking-up of his home life,
 to the near collapse of his sanity, we witness the gradual unsticking 
of John's mind, and the trouble that creates for him and his family.<br>
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</p><span>John Egan is a misfit — "a twelve year old in the body of a grown man with the voice of a giant" — who diligently keeps a "log of lies." John's been able to detect lies for as long as he can remember, it's a source of power but also great consternation for a boy so young. With an obsession for the <i>Guinness Book of Records</i>, a keenly inquisitive mind, and a kind of faith, John remains hopeful despite the unfavorable cards life deals him.<br>This is one year in a boy's life. On the cusp of adolescence, from his changing voice and body, through to his parents’ difficult travails and the near collapse of his sanity, John is like a tuning fork sensitive to the vibrations within himself and the trouble that this creates for he and his family.<br><i>Carry Me Down</i> is a restrained, emotionally taut, and sometimes outrageously funny portrait whose drama drives toward, but narrowly averts, an unthinkable disaster.</span>   