Since the publication of his debut short story collection, Adventures in Capitalism, Toby Litt has been lauded as a prime mover in a mythical "British hiplit" movement. The cult credentials of his next two books, the deconstructed literary thriller Corpsing and his 1990s rock 'n' roll homage to modern beats, Beatniks, confirmed his status as the unofficial laureate of Cool Britannia. The hegemony of Irvine Welsh and Nick Hornby seemed in peril. Toby Litt was a young blood with his sights on the "hip-lit" title.
Now with the publication of his third novel, deadkidsongs, Litt is extending his range and proving his staying power. While having all the hallmarks of another cult hit, deadkidsongs sees Litt re-invent himself, as he has done with each of his books to date. Aimed at a more literary readership than his first two novels, deadkidsongs puts the emphasis on the "lit" rather than the "hip".
A kind of British Butcher Boy set in 1970s Devon, deadkidsongs is a bizarre boys' book also reminiscent of Lord of the Flies. Here the Just William world of small town schoolboy England is given a sinister and murderous twist, as a gang of four troublesome pre-pubescent boys let their private world of violent fantasy and war worship get out of control.
While essential reading for anyone interested in contemporary British literature, deadkidsongs is a little slow and plodding at times: it is a book in need of more editing. That said, its critique of masculinity, English nationalism and its playful, knowing narrative make it a serious and absorbing read.