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 a "log of lies." 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 a boy so young. With an obsession for the Guinness Book of Records , a keenly inquisitive mind, and a kind of faith, John remains hopeful despite the unfavorable cards life deals him. This is one year in a boy's life. On the cusp of adolescence, from his changing voice and body, through to his parents' difficult travails and the near collapse of his sanity, John is like a tuning fork sensitive to the vibrations within himself and the trouble that this creates for he and his family. Carry Me Down is a restrained, emotionally taut, and sometimes outrageously funny portrait whose drama drives toward, but narrowly averts, an unthinkable disaster.