Spoonbenders

*** The BBC Radio 2 Book Club choice ***
*** An amazon.com Top 20 Books of The Year pick ***
*** In development with Paramount TV ***

'Funny and charming . . . magical' New York Times Book Review
'Hilarious, freewheeling' Guardian
'Gloriously imaginative' Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney

They were the Amazing Telemachus Family, who in the mid-1970s achieved widespread fame for their magic and mind reading act. That is, until the magic decided to disappear one night, live on national television.

We encounter this long-forgotten family two decades on, when grandson Matty, born long after the public fall from grace, discovers powers in himself and realises his hugely deflated, heavily indebted family truly are amazing.

Spoonbenders is the legacy and legend of a dysfunctional, normal, entirely unique family across three generations of big personalities and socially inept recluses - each cursed with the potential of being something special.

‘This gloriously imaginative novel featuring a family of somewhat reluctant psychics has a nifty trick up its sleeve - as whimsical and eccentric as the Telemachus family is, their hopes and desires perfectly mirror our own. Spoonbenders is hilarious, heartfelt and brimming with humanity.’ - Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, New York Times bestselling author of The Nest

‘Spoonbenders is brilliant. With the Telemachus clan, Daryl Gregory has created a family that is part J.D. Salinger and part David Foster Wallace. But the most impressive trick in the novel isn't how they read minds. Gregory's real gift is how he uses them to show the depths of the human heart.’ - Christopher Farnsworth, author of Killfile and Blood Oath

‘Did you spend a childhood convinced that you were *this close* to developing telekinetic powers? Me too! The supernatural may elude us still, but there is real magic in Daryl Gregory's gleeful story of the Amazing Telemachus Family. Spoonbenders is also about the power of belief and whether we can ever escape our tangled family legacies - and why we might not want to.’ - Jade Chang, bestselling author of The Wangs vs. the World

‘Daryl Gregory's novel traces the line where gift balances against curse and by the end, we realize he isn't only talking about amazing powers after all. Spoonbenders is X-Files meets The Sopranos with a real, roaring heart.’ - Robin Sloan, New York Times bestselling author of Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore

‘A big generational family story of longing, nostalgia and humor. The writing is so deftly charming and yet deeply felt. Spoonbenders is entertaining and moving - a perfect summer read.’ - Charles Yu, author of How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe

‘Cleverly plotted and swiftly paced . . . Gregory's novel deploys a cast of odd, damaged, enormously likable characters . . . Readers will emerge from the fray sure they know each Telemachus down to the smudges on their hearts.’ - Kirkus