Remarkably Bright Creatures - Shelby Van Pelt

Remarkably Bright Creatures

By Shelby Van Pelt

  • Release Date: 2022-05-03
  • Genre: Literary Fiction
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 4,166 Ratings

Description

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.

Reviews

  • Endearing

    4
    By KitchenKlutch
    Endearing story, but a bit slow in parts.
  • A tale of loss, love, and resilience.

    4
    By FISHXMARKET
    A beautiful tale of loss, love, and resilience. Excellent characters carry the novel forward and inspires curiosity for the story that lies a head. With the insight of a Giant Pacific Octopus, this unique perspective offers a refreshing narrative that entangles its intelligence with human emotion. The way Shelby Van Pelt brings it all together is beautifully done, but perhaps a little predictable and bit drawn out.
  • very good read!

    5
    By sea z
    this is one of those books you feel better after reading it than before well written,and maybe you will learn something about the sea creature that is telling the story.
  • Remarkedly Beautiful Creatures

    5
    By U don’t want a review
    Beautiful book! I’ll recommend to my friends.
  • A delight

    5
    By Marley&Barley
    Loved this book. The characters have so much depth and resilience. Even the octopus. It is a magical read.
  • An octopus?!?!

    5
    By josieleelo
    I just love this story ❤️
  • Beautiful

    5
    By clbtvs7
    Absolutely heartwarming book. You will not be disappointed.
  • Loved this beautiful book

    5
    By Kmull808
    Tova and Marcellus have a believable and loyal friendship - even though he is an octopus and she a human. They are wonderful characters, sharing a heartwarming story.
  • Touching story!

    5
    By seas20
    I loved this book! Loved the characters and especially Marcellus.Thank you for writing this beautiful story!!
  • Remarkably Bright Creatures

    4
    By ZIPLINEA2P
    Original yet believable premise. Good story with positive outcomes.