Spoonbenders

by Daryl Gregory
399 pgs

Thirty years ago, the Talamachus Family was quite famous. They traveled the country, performing in front of large crowds, and amazing them with demonstrations of their psychic abilities. They each had their own unique gift. Irene was known as the human lie detector and could immediately tell when someone was lying. Frankie had telekinetic powers and could move things with his mind. Buddy, the youngest, could see the future. And their mother Maureen, known as the World's Most Powerful Psychic, could leave her body behind and travel on the astral plane. Even Teddy, the father, who had no psychic abilities himself, was a world-class con man, who tricked everyone into believing that he did.

But their fame and notoriety came to an end after a disastrous appearance on live television.

Now, in 1995, Irene is a single parent struggling to hold down a  decent job, Frankie is in debt to the Chicago mob, and Buddy, who is afraid to talk to anyone now for fear of altering the future, spends all of his time inexplicably digging holes in his father's yard and refilling them. Maureen passed away years ago, and Teddy dreams of someday achieving fame again.

Irene's 14-year-old son has recently learned of his own abilities (which are the same as his dead grandmother's) and he may be the key to solving everyone's problems. And why can't Buddy see anything beyond a specific date fast approaching in September?

Gregory takes his story back and forth between now and the 1960s, describing the lives of the members of the Talamachus family and how their gifts, for the majority of their lives, were more of a curse than a blessing. The story is humorous and fun. It's fast-paced and surprisingly dark. Spoonbenders is the first book by Daryl Gregory that I've read. And while I thought the writing and the story had some issues, I enjoyed it enough to want to read more.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆