Family Secrets and Psychics: A Review of Spoonbenders

Spoonbenders (2017)
Written by: Daryl Gregory
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 416 (Hardcover)
Publisher: Knopf

Why I Chose It: Somehow I have this idea that I love Daryl Gregory’s writing, but I’m not sure what that is based on. Looking at his bibliography makes me realize I’ve only read one of his many previous books: Harrison Squared. He’s been on my radar ever since his debut novel, Pandemonium. But most of his books seem tilted toward horror, and I’m a cautious buyer when it comes to horror.

Spoonbenders sounded right up my alley (misfit families, psychic abilities, looming doom, a sense of humor), and I had a gift card burning a hole in my pocket so….

The Premise:

Teddy Telemachus is a charming con man with a gift for sleight of hand and some shady underground associates. In need of cash, he tricks his way into a classified government study about telekinesis and its possible role in intelligence gathering. There he meets Maureen McKinnon, and it’s not just her piercing blue eyes that leave Teddy forever charmed, but her mind — Maureen is a genuine psychic of immense and mysterious power. After a whirlwind courtship, they marry, have three gifted children, and become the Amazing Telemachus Family, performing astounding feats across the country. Irene is a human lie detector. Frankie can move objects with his mind. And Buddy, the youngest, can see the future. Then one night tragedy leaves the family shattered.

Decades later, the Telemachuses are not so amazing. Irene is a single mom whose ear for truth makes it hard to hold down a job, much less hold together a relationship. Frankie’s in serious debt to his dad’s old mob associates. Buddy has completely withdrawn into himself and inexplicably begun digging a hole in the backyard. To make matters worse, the CIA has come knocking, looking to see if there’s any magic left in the Telemachus clan. And there is: Irene’s son Matty has just had his first out-of-body experience. But he hasn’t told anyone, even though his newfound talent might just be what his family needs to save themselves—if it doesn’t tear them apart in the process.

 Spoilers ahead (just to play it safe)

Discussion: Somehow I got the idea from the blurb that this would be primarily from Matty’s POV. That he’s the primary protagonist or the catalyst and neither is true in the book. Which is probably for the best, because jeez, I had very little liking or sympathy for Matty.

I also thought this would be more overtly funny than it was, given the number of review excerpts that used words like “madcap” and “hilarious freewheeling caper” and “delightful wackiness.” I expected something similar to The Rook by Daniel O’Malley.

Those things made me expect more slapstick, more laughing as I read, less wry recognition of wow, people can be so weird and sad and complicated. I expected more My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell (with psychic powers!), less The Men Who Stare at Goats.

Also, Spoonbenders is an ensemble piece much more in the vein of Arrested Development than I was expecting — complete with Matty lusting after his goth-girl cousin, Malice. As a result I started off with mixed feelings about this book. Sad sack loser characters are kind of interesting on the TV screen, but reading about them? Not quite so entertaining. On the TV, it’s easy to laugh at their mishaps and misdeeds. In a book, you’re more immersed in their pain, and Gregory does a great job of fleshing them out to be real people with real problems, even as they’re also kind of off-putting.

So it took me a little bit of time to find my balance.

It helps that Gregory’s a fluid writer and a good one. He just sucks you in and you surface every so often to think oh that line was nicely done or wow, I loved that description, and then you’re back in again.

The family as a whole was fascinating. I loved the con-man patriarch who had married a genuine psychic. I liked that they all hung together when it counted, even as they had their own arguments.

I liked how Gregory set up the world. Everything here felt intensely grounded, even as the weirdness piled up.

My turning point was when Gregory dropped us into the POV of the “broken” brother, Buddy. Once you see the family through his eyes, there’s no going back. I had to keep reading. I had to see how Buddy’s dark vision and his attempts to alter the future would play out.

In the end, I felt… rewarded and triumphant. The story is really a con artist’s story, right down to the structure: Look at this, look at that, don’t mind me, look at this! Until suddenly the reveal occurs and the con man has won it all.

Teddy Telemachus is the brain of the con, and like all the best cons, knows how to use the tools he’s been given: in this case, his children and grandchildren. That you end up loving him in the end is because his goal has been to protect the family all along. Buddy is the heart and the linchpin, the tool that will let Teddy’s plan succeed or fail. Buddy was my favorite character by far.

Gregory did a good job of setting all the dominoes up exactly as needed to fall in a perfect and natural-feeling pattern at the end. I loved that even after reading American Gods with Odin’s con-artist surprise at the end, I was still surprised at the con that Teddy Telemachus pulled off. It felt satisfying and plausible, and reframed the entire family history in a great gotcha moment.

In conclusion: While I didn’t always like or respect the individual characters, like a true ensemble piece, each one of them had an essential role in this story. I found it a really rewarding read after a shaky start.

I think if you like well-drawn, multi-generational character pieces, have a soft spot for sad sack heroes who have big dreams and bigger problems, and like stories about psychic powers — not flashy, but grounded — Spoonbenders is definitely for you.

Spoonbenders has been nominated for the 2017 Nebula award, and I have to say, it’s definitely deserving of that for the careful plotting alone.

This year I’ve managed to read several of the Nebula nominees, and it’s a tough, tough field. I can’t wait to see who wins.