They were The Amazing Telemachus Family and in the 60's they were poised to make it big. Teddy, the patriarch and Mo, the mother, met when the government was exploring the use of psychics in the Cold War against Russia. Mo was the real deal and Teddy was the consummate con man. They fell in love and married and the kids came along. Irene was a human lie detector who could sense if someone was lying. Frankie could move things with his mind while Buddy could tell the future. But after a televised debacle, the family never made it big.

Decades later, things aren't going so well. Mo died when the kids were still small, her talent no match for cancer. Teddy's career as a card shark vanished when he got mixed up with a mob figure who turned on him. Irene can't keep a job or a relationship as there is falsehood all around and she sees it every time. Frankie hasn't moved anything with his mind in years and now doubts if he ever really did. Buddy has never moved out, rarely speaks and spends his days building contraptions in the house and yard. What happened?

But Teddy never gives up. He meets Gabriella in the supermarket and falls in love. The fact that she is married and to the son of the mobster who was his enemy is a minor setback. Frankie has a scheme to get back the money he lost and pay off the mob he borrowed from. Irene's son Matty seems to have inherited Mo's talent and is just now realizing he can teleport wherever he wants to go. When the mob comes after the family for all their annoyances, can they pull together one last time to save the family?

Daryl Gregory has written an engaging tale that stretches across the decades and has the reader cheering for them to finally break out and make a difference. The characters are convincing and the slow reveal of their love and ability to pull together makes for a charming read. This book is recommended for readers of literary fiction.

I got halfway through and got stuck. I might come back to it at some point, but would probably plan to start at the beginning when I do so.

An interesting, paranormal read-a-like for "Middlesex".

An honest, funny look at a family doing their best to make things work - a family who happens to have an array of supernatural abilities. A great pick for those who prefer realistic fiction with just a hint of magic.

I went to a talk given by Daryl Gregory, and he said that the inspiration for this book is that he's a Cubs fan. (The book was written before they won the series recently.) So he's always been interested in "losers", those with the deck stacked against them but doing what they love anyway. It takes character, he said, to love knowing that you will be disappointed.

I adore Daryl Gregory as an author. My favorites by him are Pandemonium, Raising Stony Mayhall, and We Are All Completely Fine. This book feels like it's going in a more... literary direction, and my heart is with the science fiction/fantasy elements of his books, so it wasn't as much for me.

There were a few things that made it more difficult for me to connect to the book: First, the scene with Matty lusting after his cousin- I have a feeling that guys will relate to/appreciate that idea more than me. Next, I've honestly never really been interested in stage magic. And there were a couple of characters I was slow to warm up to: Teddy, while a fascinating character, was kind of a jerk to his wife.

However, I am pretty interested in the idea of psychic powers. And each person's power had its drawbacks. Poor Buddy. He could see the future, but only what he had personally been paying attention to in the future. So he tried to act in the "in-between" , things that he hadn't noticed which he could affect and possibly change. It was a version of future prediction and manipulation that I'd never seen before, and it was really cool.

Irene, the human lie-detector, wouldn't let herself love anyone because who doesn't lie once in a while to the people they love? How could she be close to someone, knowing they'd end up lying to her?

The authors sets everything up right in front of the reader, but like any good magic trick, I didn't see the twist coming. I don't want to say anything more about that, but my advice is to not try too hard to figure out what the author is doing, enjoy the book, and let it happen.

What’s fantastic about the book, Spoonbenders, is how ordinary its characters are even amidst their extraordinary powers. While Maureen McKinnon is the gifted psychic; Teddy Telemachus, a slick card shark; and their three children: Irene, a human lie detector; Frankie, an emotional telekinetic; and Buddy, a boy with an astounding gift to see into the future—these characters could easily take over the world with their powers alone, but reveal instead a vulnerable family with insecurities, mishaps, and personal burdens.

The wonder of their extrasensory perception, better known as ESP, is blunted by the logistics of what it means to live an ordinary life with extraordinary gifts—which doesn’t make their gifts less interesting, but quite the opposite. If anything, the Telemachus Family in its heartbreaking ambition to be a powerful act of “magic” and mystery, still leaves residue of loss and what could have been.

Instead, their failure as a family act of members with varying degrees of ESP gifts—while failing to impress the international world—have not escaped the interest of the government, in particular, a man named Destin Smalls, a CIA operative nearly obsessed with the use and potential of the Telemachus Family in the government’s war against espionage.

With an adamant CIA operative fiercely attentive to the family’s every move, members of the mob also enter the mix to ensure a chaotic uproar in the novel’s plot. But wait—there’s also love (and lust) behind small peepholes, grocery aisles, and late-night chat message boards. Not to mention the innuendo of potential fire risks and the inexplicable projects, which include pink crayon, a dug hole, linoleum tile outside instead of inside the house, and a tumultuous trip to the casino, Alton Belle. There are secondary characters, too, who are almost as influential as the main characters: Malice, Graciella, Danny, and Cerise.

Together these characters create a plot of absurdity and fun; and a climax that seems almost out of a slapstick, comedic film. Yet, beneath the busy chaos, runs a sadness of loss, of untimely death; of the burden of knowledge; and the loneliness of being different.

While the novel isn’t as thought-provoking as its lyrical and serious, literary peers, the Spoonbenders by Daryl Gregory is an entertaining romp through a fictional world of the paranormal and its extrasensory gifts, one driven by an imaginative and playful author.
***
Characters: 3.5 stars
Plot: 3 stars
Language/Narrative: 3 stars
Dialogue: 3.5 stars
Pacing: 3.5 stars
Cover Design: 3 stars
***
Zara's Overall Rating: 3.5 stars
***
Note: My review includes the author's bio and links on how to connect with the author on social media.

Spoonbenders is a wonderfully fun and exciting novel featuring a not always lovable, but always interesting. paranormally talented family. If you grew up like me as a Mulder, someone who desperately wants to believe that there is more to reality than what can be seen, then you will love this book. The writing is sharp, the characters are well developed, and the plot is just wacky enough to be completely believabily unbelievable. This book is unlike any of the others that I've read by Daryl Gregory. This one reads much more like a labor of love than his other works and that comes through clearly.

This was such a fun book. It features three generations of the Telemachu family and each has a unique psychic ability. Astral projection, lie detection, telekinesis, and time travel are both positive forces and huge burdens. Mixed with a snafu with the Chicago mob, a skeptic trying to sabotage the family's fame, and an online romance, this book highlights the adventures of this often-dysfunctional family.

I love how fleshed out each of these characters are and how their stories connect with one another's. They seem incredibly realistic, despite having special powers. Plus, I always like reading books set in my old Chicagoland stomping grounds, so I get a little kick every time I read a passage about the grocery stores I went to and different suburbs...Overall, 4/5 stars

Delightful tale of a family of psychics, real or imagined, and their experiences in show business, and dealings with the law. Imaginative and amusing.

It was a very interesting book. I am not into fantasy, but I found the book to hold my interest and kept me fascinated trying to figure out what was 'real', what was making the mind believe something that isn't real, etc. The Telemachus family has some amazing experiences and some very amusing ones, too. I'm glad I had the opportunity to read it as it expanded my vision on literary genres.

This is unlike his other books, and I enjoyed it for different reasons. Tremendous fun for a '90s teen like me!

Magic. Pure magic.

A few themes were gleaned within the pages of Spoonbenders. Magic tricks come with a cost. True magic is often times pure luck. Case in point. Daryl Gregory shows that plot can outweigh craft as there is no special legerdemain present with his phrasing, his descriptions. But the story? The characters? Magic.

Spoonbenders follows the Amazing Telemachus Family, a one-time TV sensation of psychics and con artists who are now all older, sadder, and defeated. Irene, the eldest, is a single mother in a dead-end job. Frankie, who is always looking for the Next Big Thing, owes money everywhere, including the mob. Buddy is a clairvoyant basket case. Mattie, a teen barely coming into his own. And Teddy, the patriarch, who might be pulling one last confidence game in hopes to save everyone.

Gregory wisely turns away from setting up yet another X-Men style situation of freaks banding together outside of society in order to save it. Instead, he focuses on the normalcy, the relevancy, of the family dynamic and all its wonders: puberty, unemployment, sickness, marriage, failed dreams. He asks how can fame, something that was once briefly tasted, be regained? He sets up a ticking clock and a countdown to one glorious dénouement of card sharking, astral projection and, perhaps, with some luck, a little spoonbending as the reader is treated to a story full of amazement and wonder. And why not? Magic.

First Line: Matty Telemachus left his body for the first time in the summer of 1995, when he was fourteen years old.

Summary: The Amazing Telemachus family is a family of psychics and have special powers. They perform all over the country until they appear on TV and are disgraced. After the incident they live in obscurity for many years until Matty, the next generation of Telemachus, begins showing signs of psychic powers. The family has to join forces to fight off a growing threat around them.

Highlights: I liked Buddy. The reclusive youngest son. He was the only one I cared about. What is he up to? What can he see? I wanted to know more.

Lowlights: I couldn't finish the book. I was struggling through it. I didn't care about reading it. I was pumped for it after hearing it was a Harry Potter for the older generation.

FYI: Lots of character POVs. A lot of build up but not much happens in the first third of the book.

This book is like one of the magic tricks Teddy Telemachus performs in it - and like the very best magic tricks, you <i>know</i> a trick is being performed on you, you <i>know</i> your eyes are purposefully forced, you <i>know</i> a trick is coming - and you still get blindsided when it finally happens. It was just so awfully clever and I had such a blast trying to figure things out ahead. I enjoyed this so much while at the same time wanting to whack some characters on their heads.

The Amazing Telemachus' are a family of psychics (or con men, depending who you ask). After being debunked on live television they live a quiet life; Teddy the charming, weasely patriarch, astral projecting Maureen and their children Irene (human lie detector), Frankie (moving things with his mind), and Buddy (clairvoyant). Years later, even their grandchild Matty is not sure what is true of their family lore and what Teddy made up - when he has his first out of body experience, he realizes that their might be more truth to Teddy's stories than his mother led on.

The book starts out meandering, but charming. Told in alternating perspectives following the five main characters, the first half or so is spent on showcasting the family and starting to move pieces into place. The characterization is so well-done that I did not mind this at all. I can just imagine every single one of them so vividly and their interaction feels real (if at times exasperating, but family is like that). I felt for Irene who does not know how to have relationships anymore when she always knows if somebody is lying, I raged at Frankie and his harebrained schemes, I marvelled at the enigma that is Buddy - always living at all times of his life at once. Is there even a place for free will if you always know what you will do ahead of time? Can you cheat your own knowledge to carve out a place for yourself? The plot was first secondary (but so much fun!), then more and more coming into focus. There is so much happening: The Mafia! The CIA! Cold War! Spies! Debt! Love! (one of those things is not like the other - but very much the focus of this book)

In the end, when everything came together, I had such a huge grin on my face while at the same time being scared out of my mind about these annoying characters and what they might lose before the end. I absolutely enjoyed this immensely and am still thinking about all the moving pieces that you only recognize as part of the puzzle when they suddenly slot into place. Awfully, awfully clever.

The Amazing Telemachus Family was disgraced on national TV years ago and hasn't been the same sense. A generation later, and minus the family matriarch, Teddy and his now-grown children Irene, Frankie, and Buddy view their psychic gifts as more curse than blessing. Add into the works a mob boss calling in his due, a secret government program, plus all of the trappings of the early 1990s and you have the recipe for a raucous new novel by Daryl Gregory.

I'll keep this review as spoiler-free as possible, but let me start off with a few comparative books and movies that came to mind. Spoonbenders has the hilarious dialogue of Arrested Development with all of the flawed and complex characterization of The Corrections. Unlike Franzen's deeply unlikeable characters, however, Spoonbenders shows the depths-- funny and tragic-- while also keeping you solidly on the side of the Telemachus clan. Standout characters for me included Irene. She, perhaps more than her siblings, showed how truly double-edged a "talent" can be.

This novel is told in alternating perspectives from the POVs of family members. Each chapter advances the overall plot and helps describe the "how we got here" portion of the backstory. In my experience, it's hard for an author to balance the back and front story, but Gregory did it with ease and I tore through this book in three solid sittings. At points, I even found the backstory portions of this novel hilariously Infinite Jesty. And while Gregory's book delves into the weird with unabashed joy, it doesn't range as far as David Foster Wallace does-- to the book's credit. Simply put, this book is a twisty family drama, heavy on the humor and light-to-medium on the sci-fi.

Completely taken by surprise by this book. Add it to your TBR if you're looking for a funny, thrilling book.

I have a hard time figuring out how to classify Spoonbenders. I’ll start by saying I really liked it, so the challenge to place it is a good one. It’s the story of a family of psychics. And maybe magician/cheats. Teddy Telemachus heads up this family of misfits and disgraced fortune tellers, himself the only one who doesn’t have the “gift.” His daughter Maureen has the ability to tell if a person is lying or speaking the truth, his son Frankie is able to move objects with his mind. The youngest son, Buddy, doesn’t speak much and is left to his own devices but it’s known that he can see the future. When Maureen’s son, Matty, starts developing his own strange powers, the family gets thrown into a mess of things ranging from mobsters to foreign spies to CIA operatives. Overall I liked this a lot – parts of it were weirdly amazing, parts sad, parts funny. It’s fairly long, but worth it! 4 stars.

A fun and humorous story about a family with malfunctioning psychic abilities.

I really liked this book. Everything came together beautifully at the end. I wish it was longer or part of a series. It would make a great TV series.

This book was an absolute trip. At first, I thought the multiple perspectives was going to annoy me, but instead it worked beautifully to portray all the different and complicated aspects of the Telemachus family and the people pulled into their orbit. The family is the main draw of the book as the plot takes a backseat, but even saying the book is about family feels a little disingenuous. This is not the feel-good Hallmark movie about family, or a book on brooding and broken people. Instead, it's a book about a family that is made of cons and psychics, of people used to performing slight of hand and of amazing the audience. They aren't going to be what you expect, and Spoonbenders reflects a lot of that.

Also, the book is downright funny. Not in a laugh-out-loud kind of way but in a black comedy of errors, sometimes farcical movie kind of way. Not that there isn't danger and there isn't a lot of pain for each member to go through - there is - but the overall feeling I got reading the book was of watching a conman doing a very long, very elaborate con. I couldn't help but be filled with glee when that con is carried off seemingly without a hitch, when the ending pulls everything together in an actually satisfying way.

Yes, there are parts that felt a little too ridiculous that made me want to roll my eyes. But overall it's a great book with an intriguing bunch of characters that makes it well worth the read.

Humorous, clever, and fun. Very enjoyable, compelling story. For fans of Carl Hiaasen.