Synopses & Reviews
M. J. Hyland's debut novel,
How the Light Gets In, was a tremendous sleeper hit after its publication in the summer of 2004 and continues to captivate readers young and old in its fifth printing. The novel, which was routinely compared to
The Catcher in the Rye, garnered critical praise for its fresh writing and the finely wrought portrait of its mischievous sixteen-year-old narrator, Louise Connor. Hyland follows up with another engrossing story that at its heart examines an adolescent's difficulties navigating the world, and furthers her formidable, and growing, literary reputation.
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 track of the lies large and small that are told to him. 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 someone so young. With an obsession for the Guinness Book of World Records, a keenly inquisitive mind, and a kind of faith, John remains hopeful despite the unfavorable cards life deals him. From his changing voice, body, and psyche to his parents' disheartening marital difficulties, this is a trying year in a fragile young boy's life. John is like a tuning fork, sensitive to the vibrations within himself and the trouble that this creates for him and his family, and when his sanity reaches near collapse; a frightening family catastrophe threatens to destroy them. Carry Me Down is a restrained, emotionally taut, and sometimes oddly funny portrait whose drama drives toward, but narrowly averts, an unthinkable diaster.
Review
"Hyland's skill is commendable. Carry Me Down, in all its grossness and granular beauty, is a remarkable book." San Francisco Chronicle
Review
"Any novel that starts with a father and son drowning kittens in the bathtub doesn't promise to be a lot of fun, but Carry Me Down is not all plodding grimness....[T]his is an unsentimental and sometimes astonishing journey into a damaged life." Dallas Morning Mews
Review
"Hyland demonstrates a mature sense of characterization and suspense in a thoroughly engaging narrative. A close, creepy, masterly exploration of ashattered preadolescence." Kirkus Revies
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." J.M. Coetzee
Review
"Carry Me Down is uncompromising, unputdownable and done with expert lightness. It's a work of discreet brilliance." Ali Smith, author of The Accidental
Review
"John Egan grows into his voice as he grows into his gangly body, bringing a fresh perspective to the age-old story of the lonesome child lighting out for new territories." Australian Book Review
Synopsis
Hyland pens a restrained, emotionally taut, and sometimes oddly funny portrait of a misfit John Egan, a 12-year-old in the body of a grown man with the voice of a giant, and an obsession for the Guinness Book of World Records.
Synopsis
Carry Me Down is an engrossing story that at its heart examines an adolescent’s difficulties navigating the world. 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 track of the lies large and small that are told to him. 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 someone so young. With an obsession for the Guinness Book of World Records, a keenly inquisitive mind, and a kind of faith, John remains hopeful despite the unfavorable cards life deals him. John is like a tuning fork, sensitive to the vibrations within himself and the trouble that this creates for him and his family, and when his sanity reaches near collapse, a frightening family catastrophe threatens to destroy them. Carry Me Down is a restrained, emotionally taut, and sometimes oddly funny portrait whose drama drives toward, but narrowly averts, an unthinkable disaster.
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. Her short stories have been published in Australia, the USA and Ireland and she also edited the literary magazine, Nocturnal Submissions, for a number of years. She is currently working on a second novel.