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A review by ramreadsagain
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy of this book. This is my honest review.
Tova is in her 70's and works as a cleaner in the aquarium, where she befriends Marcellus, the resident Giant Pacific Octopus. Her husband died a few years ago, and their son died 30 years ago due to a presumed accident at sea. Tova is fairly lonely but tries to keep herself occupied. We also have Cameron who has arrived in town in search of his dad, whom he has never met.
There are a lot of things I really liked about this book, and a handful of things I didn't.
The writing style is really good, with great prose and realistic-feeling dialogue. The octopus's POV was excellent, I really loved him and I like how his personality really shone through. The characters were a bit tropey but that is part of its charm.
Our main character Tova in particular was great, I'd love to be her friend. She is exactly the kind of "old person character" I enjoy, realistically confused with technology and not some kind of larger-than-life super-granny. She actually feels fragile and old, unlike some elder characters who are shimming up trees at 80 (*cough* Beth O'Leary).
One of the main reasons this book gave me mixed feelings is our character Cameron. He is the most whiney, entitled, childish 30-year-old I have ever seen written in a book. He's not even really redeemed but the narrative seems to think we are going to like him by the end. Nope, he was intolerable and some of his sections really ruined bits for me.
Some spoiler-y plot thoughts:
The mystery element was so easy to guess I'm fairly certain it wasn't actually supposed to be a mystery. It was obvious as soon as the years matched up. I think this did bring down the rating for me slightly as I was hoping for there still to be a bit of mystery to be revealed.
However, it's about the friends we make along the way, and the characters' own journeys made for a largely heartwarming book about grief, small towns, growing old, and forming new connections with people.
I recommend for fans of character-driven contemporary fiction and octopus lovers!
Tova is in her 70's and works as a cleaner in the aquarium, where she befriends Marcellus, the resident Giant Pacific Octopus. Her husband died a few years ago, and their son died 30 years ago due to a presumed accident at sea. Tova is fairly lonely but tries to keep herself occupied. We also have Cameron who has arrived in town in search of his dad, whom he has never met.
There are a lot of things I really liked about this book, and a handful of things I didn't.
The writing style is really good, with great prose and realistic-feeling dialogue. The octopus's POV was excellent, I really loved him and I like how his personality really shone through. The characters were a bit tropey but that is part of its charm.
Our main character Tova in particular was great, I'd love to be her friend. She is exactly the kind of "old person character" I enjoy, realistically confused with technology and not some kind of larger-than-life super-granny. She actually feels fragile and old, unlike some elder characters who are shimming up trees at 80 (*cough* Beth O'Leary).
One of the main reasons this book gave me mixed feelings is our character Cameron. He is the most whiney, entitled, childish 30-year-old I have ever seen written in a book. He's not even really redeemed but the narrative seems to think we are going to like him by the end. Nope, he was intolerable and some of his sections really ruined bits for me.
Some spoiler-y plot thoughts:
However, it's about the friends we make along the way, and the characters' own journeys made for a largely heartwarming book about grief, small towns, growing old, and forming new connections with people.
I recommend for fans of character-driven contemporary fiction and octopus lovers!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, and Cancer
Minor: Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicide