Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

 

Tova Sullivan cleans at the local aquarium. She enjoys the solitude of the late night work. One night, she discovers that Marcellus, the aquarium octopus, has escaped its tank. Helping Marcellus return to his tank begins a strange connection between the pair.

Remarkable Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt has been on my TBR pile for what feels like forever. Every time I see wonderful praise for the novel, I feel guilty that it is still lingering, waiting to be read. With so many books to read, one about an octopus just didn't grab my attention; and then a film was released. Like any book lover, I was determined to read the book first, and I'm so glad I did. No disrespect to a lovely, feel good film, but the book offered so much more.

Marcellus opens the narrative, telling us all about his life at the aquarium, a life which is quickly dwindling. A boring diet and lack of stimulation sees Marcellus escaping his tank on a regular basis. Tova finds him during one of his escapes, and this begins their strange friendship. Both characters are isolated. Marcellus was captured, while Tova chose to cut herself off from the small community she lives in. Tova has never really recovered from the disappearance of her teenage son thirty years ago. His body has never been found and most of the community assume he took his own life.

A stranger arrives in town looking for his father is the catalyst for the story. Cameron lacks purpose in life, he can't hold down a job, his relationship has just ended, and if it wasn't for his aunt and friends he'd be homeless. A little bit of detective work has him convinced that a property developer in the Pacific Northwest is his father, which sees him ending up at Sowell Bay, the hometown of Tova.

Initially, Cameron isn't a particularly likeable character, he acts as if the world owes him a living. Luckily, some of the residents see something in him and offer him support. When Cameron starts working at the aquarium, an unlikely friendship forms between him and Tova. Marcellus is a keen observer of the pair, spotting something they haven't.

The story offers so much; accepting the love and support of friends, avoiding isolating yourself, trusting people, avoiding being judgemental, being willing to try new things, and most of all, living. Life should be filled with joy and laughter. Don't hide yourself away, counting down the clock. As the ending approached, I found myself filled with emotion, worried that everyone concerned was throwing away the opportunities being offered them. I will admit to wiping away a tear or two at the conclusion.

Author Details

When Shelby Van Pelt isn’t feeding her flash-fiction addiction, she’s juggling cats while wrangling children. Her debut novel, REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES, will be published by HarperCollins in May 2022. Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, she’s currently missing the mountains in the suburbs of Chicago.