Mr. Toppit

Praise

“Elton’s careful handling of a complex and thickly populated plot bears some resemblance to that of Jonathan Coe, with whom Elton shares a darkly humorous perspective on English life.” —Boston Globe
 
“Elton’s wry commentary on the business of iconography throws a deftly aimed wrench at the publicity machine that can be found beneath many of our most cherished cultural totems.” —Vogue.com
 
“Mr. Toppit doesn’t seem to be intended as a cautionary tale…but Elton brilliantly presents the betrayal, the horror, of being used.” —New York Times Book Review

“Brutally comic… a strong debut, darkly funny and richly told, with often surprisingly penetrative emotional moments.” —Associated Press

“A cultural satire encompassing a Harry Potter-esque literary empire, a Royal Tenenbaums-style dysfunctional family and an Oprah-type media figure, the book is both funny and sad.”—Newsday
 
“Told in several voices and all of them are high-pitched, Mr. Toppit is a high-jinks combination of Harry Potter, Lemony Snicket, Madeline, The Secret Garden, The Simpsons and Arrested Development.”—Los Angeles Times
 
“Darkly comic… sophisticated and witty… Mr. Toppit is great fun.” —Star Tribune (Minneapolis)

“This debut novel examines the unexpected consequences of literary fame…Elton takes a familiar course—dark familial secrets will out—but distinguishes it with a tender, wry treatment of his characters.”—The New Yorker

“Wonderfully written…It’s a nicely done coming-of-age story with some dark surprises and an entertaining level of tension.” —Bookreporter.com

“In this excellent debut, Elton tells the story of a complicated family stretched to its limits by sudden fame and unexpected acquaintances…Elton skillfully weaves together postwar England and a terrifyingly modern L.A., as well as the hopes and disappointments of frustrated mothers, neglected children, and clandestine lovers. While beautifully written and graced with a unique story line, it is Elton’s characters who drive the novel and give it a depth uncommon in debuts.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“This accomplished first novel chronicles the damaging effect of stratospheric fame on the lives of those who inherit it. Harry Potter enthusiasts will especially be drawn to it.”—Library Journal

“Skillfully written and oddly haunting…” —Kirkus Reviews

“Mr. Toppit is a darkly comic, thoroughly engaging narrative about a successful writer and the complicated legacy he leaves to his wife and children, and to the world at large. Charles Elton’s witty and unsettling debut novel explores the emotional turmoil that results when a family’s private history gets transformed into public myth.” —Tom Perrotta, author of Little Children and The Abstinence Teacher

“This is a brilliant novel—very funny, very sad and wickedly clever. I wish I had written it.” —Zoë Heller, The Believers
 
“Dark, hilarious and cruelly honest, Mr. Toppit exposes some uncomfortable truths about the English and American mindsets, and the effect of celebrity on private lives. A truly smashing debut novel.” —Christopher Fowler, author of the Bryant & May books

“One hot mess of a family romance….An engrossing, moving, and perceptive read.” —The Times (UK)

“Mr. Toppit is part Royal Tenenbaums-style saga of a dysfunctional family…part coming-of-age tale…and part satire on the iniquities of celebrity and hype.” —The Observer

“A chillingly mingled hit of love, need, and dread.” —The Independent

“This is an extraordinary debut, not only for its confident storytelling but for its nerdish familiarity with such an eclectic range of subjects.” —Sunday Times