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A review by whatsallyreadnext
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I had been eyeing up this book for a little while (partly drawn in by the octopus on the cover!), so I was pleased when my work's book club picked this for one of our reads recently.
The story centres around Tova Sullivan, who takes up a job being a night-shift aquarium cleaner after her husband passes away. The disappearance of their eighteen-year-old son, Erik, on a boat over thirty years ago, still mystifies her and keeping busy has been her coping mechanism.
Tova forms a special bond with a giant Pacific octopus called Marcellus, who lives at the aquarium and is extremely clever. This is proven when he is able to deduce exactly what happened to Erik all those years ago, and now needs to figure out how to help Tova discover this herself before time runs out.
This debut novel was nothing like I'd ever read before - it is part magical realism, part mystery, with a bit of fun and quirkiness thrown in too. I particularly enjoyed reading the chapters written from the perspective of an octopus, Marcellus was a joyful character! Although the book dragged a bit during the initial setup of the characters and around the middle, the pace picked up a bit once there were a few reveals to the reader and I felt more invested in the story by then too. I think the ending improved the book for me as well as the inclusion of the octopus!
The story centres around Tova Sullivan, who takes up a job being a night-shift aquarium cleaner after her husband passes away. The disappearance of their eighteen-year-old son, Erik, on a boat over thirty years ago, still mystifies her and keeping busy has been her coping mechanism.
Tova forms a special bond with a giant Pacific octopus called Marcellus, who lives at the aquarium and is extremely clever. This is proven when he is able to deduce exactly what happened to Erik all those years ago, and now needs to figure out how to help Tova discover this herself before time runs out.
This debut novel was nothing like I'd ever read before - it is part magical realism, part mystery, with a bit of fun and quirkiness thrown in too. I particularly enjoyed reading the chapters written from the perspective of an octopus, Marcellus was a joyful character! Although the book dragged a bit during the initial setup of the characters and around the middle, the pace picked up a bit once there were a few reveals to the reader and I felt more invested in the story by then too. I think the ending improved the book for me as well as the inclusion of the octopus!