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Laura's Book Group

Laura's Book Group from Edinburgh, winners of the 2008 Penguin Orange Readers' Group Prize winners of the 2008 Penguin Orange Readers' Group Prize, review Mr Toppit by Charles Elton.

And out of The Darkwood Mr Toppit comes, and he comes not for you, or for me, but for all of us...

Don’t let the delicious, playful cover lull you into thinking this is a children’s book – note the sinister poise of the bumble bee and think again!

By now you must have heard about Mr Toppit and The Hayseed Chronicles, in which he is the “Lemony Snicket” type antagonist. Throughout the book there are excerpts and references to the legendary Chronicles however this is no fairytale. Instead it focuses on the author’s family and their very human weaknesses of deceit, anger, sorrow, bitterness, vanity and thoughtlessness.

Laura's Book Group

The central plot tracks the impact that The Chronicles’ unprecedented literary success has on each of the Hayman family members and their eclectic social circle as narrated by the author’s son Luke who, like Christopher Milne, is preserved for all time as the central character. His voice is measured and frank as he shares his father’s death, his sister’s reaction to being excluded from the books, his Mother’s inattentiveness and the crushing pressure of constant media attention. And that’s just for starters...

As usual our members responded to different elements of Mr Toppit. The pulling together of various plot strands in a jigsaw-like effect towards their interlinking conclusion kept some members intrigued; whilst others enjoyed best the tantalising tasters from the Chronicles themselves. Above all the momentum of the character development and interaction as they hurtle towards their destinies kept even our member known officially as “Worst Book Finisher” rushing through the pages to be the first finished instead!

Laura's Book Group

The fictitious press, marketing and public response to The Chronicles is cleverly and realistically portrayed, mirroring everything that is laughable – and terrifying – about the power of the media.

However no book can slip through a meeting without some criticism and a few members felt the book dwelling too much on the detail of the characters’ daily lives for their taste.

It is an easy read with a right rollicking, twisty plot which is tempered by the calm voice of Luke. The writing style is not elegant but is light, direct and accessible, pulling you along with the pace of the storyline and the serious, relevant topics addressed are often softened by moments of real life humour, like the rivalry of two family friends as they compete for the Haymans’ affections through the preparation of the best funeral food.

The frequent use of dialogue between characters gives you a strong sense of each individual’s personality, and it is the characterisation within the book which really shines; all are well developed and serve a purpose, if rarely likeable. In fact most are outrageously annoying! A great discussion on each character’s motivations, mannerisms and social impact is awaiting any book group out there who decide to read Mr Toppit.

But who is mysterious Mr Toppit and how does his sinister presence resonate across the Hayman family... well you’ll just have to read the book to find out!