''Carry Me Down'' (2006) is the second novel of British writer

M. J. Hyland Maria Joan Hyland is an ex-lawyer and the author of three novels: ''How the Light Gets In'' (2004), ''Carry Me Down'' (2006) and ''This is How'' (2009). Hyland is a lecturer in creative writing in the Centre for New Writing at the University ...

. It was awarded the

Hawthornden Prize The Hawthornden Prize is a British literary award that was established in 1919 by Alice Warrender, who was born at Hawthornden Castle. Authors under the age of 41 are awarded on the quality of their "imaginative literature", which can be written i ...

in 2007 and was shortlisted for the

Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly known as the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a literary prize awarded each year for the best novel written in English and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland. ...

. Carry me down is the story of a young boy who can detect lies. Set in a small village, this extraordinary boy John Egan first realized his powers when his father ruthlessly killed three kittens and lied about not feeling bad. He had warm relations with his kind-hearted mother. They were broken when conditions forced them to move to the growing misery of a big city. Young John thought that if truth was let out things would be back to normal. But the world has changed, and truth is not an easy affair. His dream was to get a place in the

Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

as the first human lie detector. Tragedy strikes when he reveals a life-changing and deep secret of his dad. Little does he know this will lead to a cat and dog fight between his mom and dad. John's mother is disgraced and so is John. But his grandmother sorts things out, and welcomes them as family again. This book ends with his Guinness dream being rejected and his disastrous truth-detecting powers declining. He knows he is going to live a happy and contented life.

References

2006 British novels Canongate Books books Hawthornden Prize-winning works {{2000s-novel-stub