Book Review: "Remarkably Bright Creatures" by Shelby Van Pelt
*Spoiler alert!*
What a debut novel for Shelby Van Pelt! The fact that there
was an octopus involved in this story sold me, but Remarkably Bright
Creatures was much more than that. It was a story of hope and heartbreak as
well as cross-species communication that I really enjoyed.
“Humans. For the most part, you are dull and blundering. But occasionally, you can be remarkably bright creatures.”
Tova is an elderly widow who has lost both her son (in
mysterious circumstances) and her husband (terminal pancreatic cancer). She lives
in a tiny seaside town in Washington, called Soul Bay, and works a night job
cleaning at the local aquarium. It is there that she develops an unlikely
relationship with Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus, who is also towards the
tail-end of his lifespan.
The story alternates between a few POVs: Marcellus, Tova, and
Cameron. (Cameron comes into the aquarium story a bit later.) I especially
enjoyed Marcellus’s point of view, his acerbic and witty observations built
over nearly four years at the aquarium. (The first quote in this review is his,
turning the tables on the humans who label his species as “remarkably
bright creatures.”)
Despite the thirty years it’s been since Tova has lost her
son, Erik, who was presumed to have committed suicide by drowning in the bay,
she hasn’t stopped thinking about him. She doesn’t think he committed suicide
yet doesn’t have much to go on since the authorities closed the case.
Meanwhile, Cameron, a 30-year-old from California, is seeking
his birth father. Raised by his aunt Jean, he hears that his biological dad
might be a big Washington real estate tycoon. This draws him to Soul Bay, where
he’s desperate to find a job to help him both make a living and pay back a loan
his aunt gave him to go on his northward search.
When Tova is on medical leave for six weeks due to an ankle
sprain she sustained at work when falling from a stool, Cameron is hired temporarily
in her place. While Cameron is initially frightened of Marcellus, Tova smooths
things over between them.
It is seeing Tova and Cameron together that Marcellus begins
to connect the dots of the mystery that surrounds Erik’s disappearance thirty
years ago. There is an increasing urgency on Marcellus’s part to show Tova
Cameron’s connection to her, as he senses he is going to die soon. A similar
urgency on Tova’s part as she counts down the days towards her quitting her job
and moving to a retirement home. Marcellus and Tova have little time together
and they are trying to make the most of it.
“We must say goodbye, friend. But I’m glad Terry saved you, because you saved me.”
I’m not crying, you’re crying!
In any case, I think readers will be pleasantly surprised by Remarkably
Bright Creatures. It’s the story I needed, and I’m glad I was able to read
it.
Happy reading!
--BookOwl
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