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 children’s novels world-famous. But buried deep inside the books lie secrets that begin to shake Arthur’s 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 father’s literary legacy, exploring fame, fandom and long-buried secrets
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
ISBN: 9781408884881
Number of pages: 384
Weight: 265 g
Dimensions: 198 x 129 mm
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 Elton’s 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. It’s 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 Coe’s 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
Interestingly written but plot simply didn't seem up to it. Read it through and enjoyed parts of it but couldn't recommend it! Unusual for a Richard & Judy choice.
Very poor ... not really a story ... very disappointed ... what were Richard & Judy thinking?
I picked this book first to read from the Richard and Judy summer reads. The reviews on the cover were promising and I was looking forward to reading it. Unfortunately, it did not live up to the expectations. The... More
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