M.J. Hyland’s darkly funny and compelling novel about a 12-year-old boy whose obsession with the truth threatens disaster for his entire family.

Young John Egan has an unusual talent: he knows when people are lying. He hopes that one day this gift will bring him fame and guarantee his entry into the Guinness Book of World Records, but until then, he must deal with the destructive undercurrents in his loving but fragile family. However, John’s obsession with uncovering the truth starts to become a violent and frightening fixation, in M.J. Hyland’s portrait of a keenly inquisitive mind.

Shortlisted
The Man Booker Prize 2006
Published by
Canongate
Publication date
M.J. Hyland

M.J. Hyland

About the Author

M.J Hyland is an ex-lawyer and the author of three multi-award-winning novels: How the Light Gets In (2004), Carry Me Down (2006) and This Is How (2009).
More about M.J. Hyland