I received Remarkably Bright Creatures as part of a book tour series. I did the tour, and put it back on my shelf, thinking nothing of it. It’s a debut novel about some old woman and an octopus…how good could it really be? Keep reading, friend.

The Story

For fans of A Man Called Ove, a charming, witty and compulsively readable 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.

My Thoughts

The real reason I started reading Remarkably Bright Creatures is that my friends from book club all told me it was one of their favorite books of 2022. They said it was beautiful and incredible and a must-read.

While I may not agree with all of that sentiment, I do believe that it was a beautiful novel. If you can get your hands on it, I think you will really enjoy it.

I said a lot of this in my review on TikTok, but I know plenty of my readers aren’t on TikTok, so I’m still sharing here. There were quite a few breadcrumbs that led you to the crux of the novel. I can’t tell if it was written in a way that made these breadcrumbs really obvious or if it just wasn’t written well enough to hide it…if that makes sense. It didn’t take away from the book as a whole, but I thought I spent too much time waiting to get to that crux.

Remarkably Bright Creatures was a delightful book with a heartwarming story, perfect for readers of all genres (and ages). It’s a little bit silly with regards to the octopus, but very easy to get beyond that and just lose yourself in the story.

Remarkably Bright Creatures has almost 120,000 reviews and ratings on Goodreads, and almost 4.5 stars! That is practically unheard of. Plus, it’s Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel, so it’s clear she will have a lovely writing career ahead of her.

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