Product Description

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. Set in early seventies Ireland, "Carry Me Down" is a deeply sympathetic take on one sad boyhood, told in gripping, and at times unsettling, prose. It plays out its tragic plot against a disarmingly familiar background and refuses to portray any of its lovingly drawn characters as easy heroes or villains.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #170477 in Books
• Published on: 2006-04-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Review
"'This is fiction writing of the highest order... John Egan is a brave, resourceful boy, intelligent and self-aware, yet skating on the edge of madness. The story of John's thirteenth year is both sympathetic and disturbing. It is also rich in understated humour' JM Coetzee "(Hyland) brings the long-forgotten teenage sensation of drowning in life's uncomprehended complexities horribly alive." The Times "Hyland nails the alternation excitement and embarrassment of being a teenager... a talented writer." New York Times "Lou is a heartbreaking and compelling creation, and Hyland beautifully captures the self-dramatising yet meek voice of a 16-year-old girl." Observer"

About the Author
M.J. Hyland was born in London in 1968 to Irish parents and spent her early childhood in Dublin. She now lives and works in Melbourne, Australia. Her short stories have been published in Australia, the USA and Ireland. Her first novel, How the Light Gets In, was also published by Canongate.

Customer Reviews

Gentle (ish) Giant
I have had this book on my shelf for a while, and picked it up this week for the first time. I finished it in 2 days on a return very long train journey.

It is a story of a boy, that thinks he has a gift and his frustration when people doubt it. He is no 'ordinary' boy for sure, but that is more to do with his appearance.

It is also a story of relationships, between the boy and his parents, and their own relationship and issues, and I enjoyed the realistic picture the author paints of a young boy trying to understand the complicated lives of adults.

A good read, and an easy read. I have read it for what it is, a book on my shelf that needed reading, and I am glad I did, and I ignored the hype of it being shortlisted for the Booker Prize.

I would certainly recommend Carry Me Down.

Dreadful
I bought this book after reading many great reviews.
Some of the content of the first few chapters made me feel ill, and after that the book went from horrible to boring.
There are very few books that I won't read right to the end (and I read 2-3 books a week) but there was no way I could finish this book.
I wouldn't recommend it at all !

So? So? - Just very so-so!
This is an excellently written book, but for all that, it's just also very forgettable. Hyland beautifully captures the starkness of 70's Ireland from the very realistic perspective of an 11year old boy, but whilst I stuck with it to the end, I just kept waiting for some big finale or secret, right up to the last word and was left with a feeling of expecting more.

The closest thing to any real powerful twist or unexpected drama occurs quite late in the book, near the end. In many ways I feel this would have been a better way to start the story, perhaps making the act itself a little more powerful.
In my opinion the most powerful scene is when the teacher makes a young girl drink water from a bucket on her hands and knees, then forces her to stand in the classes view whilst he waits for her to eventually wet herself.

In general, not a bad book, but could have been so much more!