Remarkably Bright Creatures
A Novel
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4.5 • 493 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
A New York Times Bestseller
Now a Netflix Film
A Read With Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick!
“Remarkably Bright Creatures is a beautiful examination of how loneliness can be transformed, cracked open, with the slightest touch from another living thing.” -- Kevin Wilson, author of Nothing to See Here
For fans of A Man Called Ove, a charming, witty and compulsively readable exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope that traces a widow's unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus
After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.
Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors—until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.
Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova’s son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it’s too late.
Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
This charming mystery is about the unlikely bond between a 70-year-old janitor, her new assistant…and a giant octopus named Marcellus. Tova took her night job at a suburban Washington State aquarium to pull herself out of the grief over her husband’s recent death, in addition to the disappearance of her teenage son three decades before. Thirty-year-old man-child Cameron is trying to prove to himself that he’s ready for adult responsibility. Marcellus, nearing the end of a life in captivity, knows that there’s another connection between the two co-workers—though getting them to figure it out is something else entirely. Author Shelby Van Pelt has the humanistic eccentricity of Fredrik Backman and the clear, dialogue-driven storytelling of Taylor Jenkins Reid. Mixing a literary character study with a fun beach read, Remarkably Bright Creatures is an absolute gem.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A cross-species friendship helps solve a pair of decades-old mysteries in Pelt's whimsical if far-fetched debut. After Tova Sullivan's husband dies, she takes a night job as janitor at an aquarium, where she enjoys talking to the sea creatures. She's particularly fond of Marcellus, a giant octopus who shies away from most human attention. But when Tova finds Marcellus out of his tank and helps him back to safety, he becomes fond of her. Meanwhile, Cameron Cassmore comes to town looking for his long-lost father and joins Tova on the night shift, disrupting her routine. However, the two soon realize that Cameron's mother, who disappeared after leaving him with an aunt when he was nine, and Tova's son, who died after falling off a boat decades earlier, might have known each other. Marcellus, who lived in the sea before his capture, is the only creature who knows for sure. Pelt imbues Tova, Cameron, and Marcellus with pathos, but her abrupt cycling between their perspectives can be disorienting, and her no-frills prose is ill-suited for the anthropomorphic conceit at the story's core. While the premise intrigues, this fantastical take on human-animal connection requires a bit too much suspended disbelief.
Customer Reviews
Exceptionally Entertaining
Let your imagination roam when reading this magical book. I enjoyed every minute as the characters lives unfolded and melded together leading to an ending that was emotionally satisfying. Especially that of Marcelllus the engaging and entertaining Giant Pacific octopus.
Beautiful book
Beautiful writing and a very emotional journey. Loved this book
Wow! What a remarkable story
I never knew octopuses were so incredibly smart. Almost otherworldly, like tender little aliens. Their escapes, their cleverness, their curiosity. I was amazed on every page.
But what really stayed with me was the emotional journey, the way these remarkable creatures helped bridge a connection between a grandmother and her grandson. It’s beautiful, surprising, and unforgettable