[Book thought] Spoonbenders – Daryl Gregory

 Reading Spoonbenders the 2^nd times during Covid Social distance give me a new look on its content which I forgot to totally enjoy in the 1^st. Being poor, being not smart or intelligent enough to take advance of your own talent, ability is quite scary. The fate of Irene, Frankie, Buddy are the no-one-want fates. Their kids somehow are always in the alert state about their vulnerable, out of control situation. But their fates are not different with people’s. Everyone has their own problems, no one is free mind of stress, just that their worry might be deviated, even the rich one is not the happiest. Talking about Bill Gate or Mark Zuckerberg might be too high level, Goong Yoo actor is more popular to Vietnamese than. A successful actor but his private life is a closed tight door to his fan and to normal people. To protect himself and his career, he accepts a low-profile social media life, no trace of private life, a high controlled life.

In Spoobenders, through the point of view of 52 years older writer Daryl Gregory, despite their painful life, each of Telemachus member still has their joyful moments, self-create the joy, look for it every day, look deep into life, find the reason to live, not to exist. Sometimes, to live costs us all the living effort. Therefore, being single is the best choice, the least thing we can do for ourselves.

Live single, unmarried life means that you carry the look with you all the time, all the places. That look showed on people face, on their talk to you, about you. A man or a woman lives without a partner seems to be odd even though they live independently and does not make any burden to anyone. Goong Yoo, the showed-single-status actor is quoted that he likes the independent woman, a partner like a cat. What kind of life or how many women cause him this statement of the ideal partner? God knows. The one always plays the rich man character, the desirable man in movie and in life, Lisa – Black Pink also crush him, the quiet handsome man with 6 pack abs does the opposite with all his played characters, a protest to his career? Let the famous actor do his job. His movies are good enough to escape all the matters. In real life, if a man said to my face that he likes an independent me, off-you-go is the best pay back for him. That statement is a well made-up reason so as not to be around with someone than just the fear of being depended.

There are a lot of single parents in Spoonbenders, except Frankie who have a 10-year-older wife, 3 kids and that married man is also known as a troublemaker with the home feeding reason on the tip of his tongue. But like Buddy jealousy to Frankie, he has the happy moments worthy his trouble suffering.

Single or not, independence or not, to live happy and meaningful or not, every man or woman deal with these problems daily. Choose the thing you want, not the thing your parent, your friend, your partner, your boss told you. They are not living your life. In the end of day, it is just you and yourself. This is the feeling after finished reading the book of 52-year-old writer the 2^nd times. Cheer to the hilarious, fantasy author.