Mr Toppit: The Darkly Comic Richard & Judy Bestseller

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

The bestselling Richard and Judy Book Club Pick 'Jangly with secrets' Sunday Times 'Funny, inventive, surprisingly moving' Guardian 'Royal Tenenbaums-style saga of dysfunctional family' The Times When Arthur Hayman, author of The Hayseed Chronicles, dies, a bizarre chain of events makes his series of childrens novels world-famous. But buried deep inside the books lie secrets that begin to shake Arthurs family his son, Luke, reluctantly immortalized as the young hero; his daughter, Rachel, for whom the books are a hole through which her life has fallen; and his enigmatic wife, Martha, who knows that secrets are best kept well-hidden. And at the heart of The Hayseed Chronicles is the mysterious Mr Toppit, who will let none of the Haymans out of his grasp A darkly comic story of a family shaped by their fathers literary legacy, exploring fame, fandom and long-buried secrets

Reviews

An extraordinary debut, not only for its confident storytelling but for its nerdish familiarity with such an eclectic range of subjects Dark, funny jangly with secrets * Sunday Times *
A masterly tale of quiet torment * Sunday Telegraph *
Funny, inventive, surprisingly moving, hopeful * Guardian *
A chillingly mingled hit of love, need and dread * Independent *
We find a wholly new voice in Luke, in whose witty, bemused voice much of Charles Eltons brilliantly observed novel is told Mr Toppit is miles ahead of most debut novels and makes an engrossing, moving and perceptive read. Its taut narrative and daring emotional palate shift effortlessly between the dark days of childhood, the grit of pre-digital Soho and the overexposed nonsense of contemporary L.A. Its quite a ride * The Times *
Mr Toppit is party Royal Tenenbaums-style saga of dysfunctional family Part coming-of-age tale and part satire on the iniquities of celebrity and hype * Observer *
Poignant and engaging * Mail on Sunday *
A cracker. Elton has an arch wit, an engaging style and a sense of invention that recalls Jonathan Coes What a Carve Up! You are gripped * Evening Standard *
What begins as a robust comedy evolves into a dark, ironic family drama, a coming-of-age tale and an industry satire * Daily Mail *
Elton is going to be the Next Big Thing in darkly comic BritLit * Scotsman *
Elton is a brilliant observer of the tics and stumblings of his characters desires and weaknesses * Vogue *
Painfully funny * Marie Claire *
Whimsical, but spiced with darkness * Elle *

Author Bio

Charles Elton was educated at Reading University. He was a Director of Literary Agency Curtis Brown before becoming an Independent TV producer in 1991. In 2000 he joined ITV as Executive Producer in Drama and left in 2010 when his first novel, Mr Toppit, was published. His second novel, The Songs, will be published by Bloomsbury in 2017. He lives in London and Somerset with his children.