Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt Published by Ecco on May 3, 2022
Genres: Contemporary, Family & Relationships, Fiction / Animals, Magical Realism
Pages: 360
Format: Audiobook
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Remarkably Bright Creatures, an exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope, tracing 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.
I’ve had my eye on this book for a while, but then decided not to read it because of the hype around the Netflix movie. I tend to avoid hype books during the hype. Don’t ask me why; I’m just defiant or something. Just like I’ve had some Dolly books on my list for a while and then literally back-burnered them for well . . . reasons. Maybe next year? Anyway, yes, this was a back-burner, but then it showed on my Book Girls Guide list, and I threw caution to the wind. As I type this I’m still divided about watching the movie on Netflix, not for the content but more because when do I have time? We’ll see what happens before this goes live.
I have mixed feelings about this book, but I absolutely get the hype. Real characters that you root for, relate to, and sometimes want to smack. Tova was endearing in her legalistic ways. She is absolutely a boomer. Conner, you felt bad for, rooted for him, and wanted to absolutely Gibbs’ smack him. And then there was Marcellus. Everyone loves Marcellus. I get that appeal. Marcellus, and somewhat Conner, is a gentle reminder of how often we underestimate those around us. I enjoyed how the story slowly unfolded, from the three main points of view, in a way that draws you in and keeps you engaged. Initially, I was feeling like it dragged, but I didn’t know yet why we needed the points of view we got . . . until I did. But even in that drag, I was completely engaged. However, when all the pieces finally clicked for everyone, it felt so very anticlimactic. You have Tova connecting dots that may or may not be related because she needed, no wanted, them to be related. But then, when it all does come to light, it was a letdown in the reactions. Like, this is huge, people; you don’t get how huge this is? Seriously! That bugged me.
Like I said, though, I get the hype. I didn’t want to read it just yet because of hype; I’m a bit obstinate that way, but I’m glad I did. Yes, I had issues with these folks trying to find their way and then the ultimate letdown of the big reality that I felt was monumental. But . . . I really did enjoy the story. At its core, it’s a feel-good story about the random, and not so random, intersection of lives. If you, like me, haven’t read it because ‘everyone’s doing it’ and ‘well now it’s a movie so . . .’ don’t let that stop you. Sometimes we need a story that isn’t trying to lecture us but wants to journey with us. Sometimes we just need to get lost into not our own reality and that is this book.
BONUS CONTENT: So, I broke down and made time to watch the Netflix movie yesterday. Honestly, I liked the movie. Yes some major liberties were taken; some pretty (to me) pivotal things were changed, but I liked it. Aunt Jean doesn’t exist; what I felt were some key sub-threads were explained out in different ways, but the anticlimactic reveal of the greater story was just as lackluster and disappointing as the book. So there’s that. Honestly, whether you read the movie or watch the book, I could fix that but I’m not you know what I mean, they are both great. The movie has a few plot holes (for me, that doesn’t match the book), but I really did enjoy it. Both gave you all the feels it intended to bring. Like every book adaptation, they are not the same, but I think in this case, while I miss Aunt Jean, the movie did a great stand-in. And ultimately, at the end of both, you learn that humans can sometimes, despite our foibles, be remarkably bright creatures.
About Shelby Van Pelt
When Shelby Van Pelt isn’t writing, she’s herding cats and wrangling children. Her debut novel, REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES (Ecco, 2022) was an Instant New York Times Bestseller and a Read With Jenna Today Show book club pick. In 2023, she was awarded the Heartland Prize for Fiction and the McLaughlin-Esstman-Stearns First Novel Prize from The Writer’s Center. Remarkably Bright Creatures has sold over two million copies. It has spent, in aggregate, over a year on the NYT Hardcover Bestseller list.
Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, she’s now missing the mountains in the Chicago area with her family.
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