Freelance Writing Jobs | Today's Articles | Sign In

Review of Charles Elton's Mr Toppit

The Legacy of The Hayseed Chronicles

Feb 16, 2009 Elizabeth Gregory

Charles Elton's darkly comic debut novel looks at the way a family copes with the success of a series of children's books based around their own lives.

London, 1981. Britain is busy preparing for the Royal Wedding between Charles and Diana, when little-known writer Arthur Hayman is run over and killed on the way home from his publisher. He has been to check that the cover of his latest book, Darkwood, is on display – the fifth and darkest to date in the children’s series The Hayseed Chronicles.

The Mysterious Mr Toppit

Obviously, the series will go no further, leaving the books to become classics following the death of their author. The mysterious character Mr Toppit has just made his first appearance in the books after tormenting the child protagonist throughout the series – “And out of the Darkwood Mr Toppit comes, and he comes not for you, or for me, but for all of us”.

The child protagonist is Luke Hayseed, firmly based on Arthur’s own son. Luke Hayman has seen his life taken over by this alter ego – as a child he is teased at school, and as an adult he is constantly approached by complete strangers telling him their childhood memories of the books. Like the ubiquitous Harry Potter, everyone has read The Hayseed Chronicles, and everyone has a story or an opinion to share.

Charles Elton’s debut novel shows us how this phenomenally successful series of books has impacted upon the lives of Arthur’s family: his widow Martha, Luke, and his troubled daughter Rachel, who begins the novel heavily medicated in a clinic. The influence of the books reaches further than just the family: American tourist Laurie chances to be with Arthur immediately after his accident, and comforts him as he lies dying.

Hidden Secrets

The novel moves across several decades, and alternates between different viewpoints. Most of the chapters are entitled either “Luke” or “Laurie”, but there are also chapters focusing on “Rachel” or “Arthur and Martha” (or “the Rhymes”, as Luke and Rachel refer to them). These different strands eventually come together to reveal the secrets that have lain hidden in the Hayman family until the exposure that the huge success of the books has brought.

The novel is witty and enjoyable, and will be quickly devoured by most readers. The dark vein of humour that runs throughout the book as the author examines our fame-obsessed society promises that he may be a writer to watch in the future, to see what he turns his sharply observant eye to next.

Mr Toppit by Charles Elton is published in the UK by Viking, an imprint of Penguin Books, 2009. ISBN 978-0-670-91781-5.

The copyright of the article Review of Charles Elton's Mr Toppit in British/UK Fiction is owned by Elizabeth Gregory. Permission to republish Review of Charles Elton's Mr Toppit in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.