# Topper

By Thorne Smith · Topper, book 1

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/topper-675c10cf/

Cosmo Topper, a bank manager bored with his orderly life, buys a used car. Its former owners, George and Marion Kerby, died in a crash and now haunt it. They take an interest in their purchaser and set about giving him the adventures his suburban routine has kept at bay.

## What makes it funny?

Even before the ghosts arrive, Topper struggles with his own household. He complains that the cat has yawned and scratched; his wife assumes he means her and blames the veal. One reader in a book group remembers laughing through the Topper books, while warning that the period humor can feel inappropriate today.

### The comedy at work

Smith's narrator gives tiny domestic grievances the attention Topper thinks they deserve. The familiar sequence of his wife putting away her sewing makes him despair: even a change in the order would help. The Kerbys give this rigid man far more disruption than he bargained for.

### Try this if…

Readers who enjoy dry narration and jokes at the expense of suburban respectability have plenty to work with here. The supernatural setup brings a reckless ghost couple into a life organized around avoiding disturbance.

### Good to know

First published in 1926, the book is described by its publisher as ribald. The supplied reader recommendation is one person's recollection of the Topper books; its caution about dated attitudes accompanies that enthusiasm.

## What to expect

- Genre: Classic comedy · Fantasy
- Kind of humor: Dry wit · Situational comedy
- The atmosphere: Irreverent
- Format: Novel
- Length: 240 pages
- Published: 1926

## A few distinguishing details

- A secondhand car with its previous owners still attached
- A respectable bank manager recruited into ghostly adventures

## Sources & further reading

- Publisher: [Topper by Thorne Smith, Penguin Random House / Modern Library](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/169572/topper-by-thorne-smith)
- Book information: [Series bibliography](https://www.fantasticfiction.com/s/thorne-smith)
- Publisher: [Publisher](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/169572/topper-by-thorne-smith)
- Reading sample: [Read the opening chapters](https://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0600241h.html)
- Reader discussion: [Reader discussion](https://facebook.com/groups/TwoGirlsMustReads/permalink/1699321627533655)