Description
Book SynopsisIreland, 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.
Trade ReviewExpressively communicating the stagnant mood of 1970s Ireland, Hyland's disquieting novel is also feverishly alert to childhood's bewilderments and sensitively articulates the strange osmosis between the mundane and the otherwordly that enriches the narrator's wonky perceptions of humanity. * * The Sunday Times * *
This is a gripping read. Hyland has a unique and compelling style. * * Irish Independent * *
It is difficult to combine realism and surreal interludes in a single narrative structure, but Hyland manages this effortlessly in what is only her second novel...The most contemporary writer she most brings to mind is AL Kennedy. They share a fondness for quietly, relentlessly shocking the reader....a fictional, exaggerated, but ultimately winning version of every adolescent who ever hesitated nervously on the threshold of the adult world. * * The Daily Telegraph * *
