Carry Me Down By M. J. Hyland

जॉन इगन या बाराव्या वर्षात पदार्पण करणाNया मुलाला आपल्यातील अचाट शक्तीची जाणीव होते. ती म्हणजे– लोकांनी केलेले ‘असत्य-कथन’ शोधून काढण्याची... या अचाट शक्तीच्या आधारे जॉन आपले नाव ‘गिनिज बुक ऑफ रेकॉर्ड’मध्ये नोंदविण्याचा प्रयत्न करतो... पौंगडावस्थेतील जॉनच्या अशा वागण्यामुळे घरातील नातेसंबंध बिघडतात... त्याचे वागणे इतके पराकोटीला पोहचते की, तो आपल्या आईचा खून करण्याचा प्रयत्न करतो... त्यातून त्याची रवानगी सुधारगृहात होते... ...एवढं सगळं घडतं ते जॉनच्या विचित्र मानसिक अवस्थेमुळे... या अवस्थेतील म्हणजे ‘पौंगडावस्थेतील मुलाच्या मनाचा ठाव घेण्याचा केलेला कौशल्यपूर्ण प्रयत्न!... 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." 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.