Book Club February 2023- Remarkably Bright Creatures
By: Shelby Van Pelt
Published Year: 2022
Publisher: Ecco
Pages: 368
Summary (Provided by Goodreads): 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.
What I thought
I heard about this book from multiple people last year. They all raved about how it was one of the best books they read that year so when it was my turn to pick for book club I knew I needed to pick this one.
Tova is 70 years old and cleans the small town aquarium each night. 30 years ago she lost her son to a mysterious disappearance and she hasn’t been the same since. She also lost her husband a few years ago and feels very alone. When she meets the Pacific Octopus Marcellus on one of her shifts, her world slowly begins to change.
This book alternates between a whole bunch of perspectives, one of which belongs to the octopus. That’s right, the octopus. I was worried that it would be weird and cheesy, but his ended up being my favorite chapters. We all know octopi are smart creatures, so hearing his inner thoughts and observations was so fun. I wish that he had more chapters because towards the end he had less and less and I wanted more of Marcellus. The other main perspectives are Tova and Cameron, but you do get chapters from other characters’ perspectives which is nice because it helps to connect you to smaller sider characters and not just the main ones.
This book is one that is built around connection. Are you connected to others? Who connects you to this world? What happens when you feel like you have no connection? I’ve read some books similar to this one, with The Authenticity Project specifically coming to mind, so I don’t think this book hit me as hard as it did others. Don’t get me wrong, I loved this book. But I think if you haven’t read this type of book before it’ll speak to you more.
The chapters were short and sweet, making this a quick read. The characters were all intriguing and lovable in their own way (mostly). I think it’s a well written story and I understand why it spoke to so many people.
What Book Club Thought
Book club success! Not only did everyone finish it, but everyone enjoyed it. I think the overall consensus was that parts of it were predictable, but that it was overall very enjoyable and well-written. I’m curious to see Van Pelt’s sophomore novel. It was interesting to see how we had all predicted different parts but still enjoyed it. I definitely would recommend this as a book club pick and I think if you haven’t read something similar you’ll really enjoy it.