Review by readwithbumblebee - Remarkably Bright Creatures

readwithbumblebee 's review for:

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I absolutely loved this book. In fact, it’s vying for the position of Favourite Book of 2024.

These characters, and their story, will stay with you long after you finish the book. One look at the cover, and I remembered how the novel made me feel and its impact. I think that’s the sign of a great book.

Tova Sullivan, a widowed woman in her 70’s, has worked at the Sowell Bay Aquarium ever since her husband died. Over the past 30 years, she has kept herself busy, as a way to cope with the sudden disappearance (and suspected death) of her 18 year old son, Erik. One night as she works her usual shift, she meets Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus who sees everything but would never dream of having any sort of friendship with a human, until an unlikely friendship is forged between Tova and Marcellus. Marcellus puts on his detective hat and, looking at his treasure trove of items collected from the ocean floor and his memories, he deduces what happened that night to Tova’s son, Erik. So, with his increasingly old body, Marcellus does everything he can to uncover the truth for Tova, before it is too late.

This book felt like a warm hug, and I loved following all the different characters, and discovering how their lives intersected. I loved Tova’s character, and I found her to be so relatable! Of course, the best character in the whole book is Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus who sees everything and is great at keeping secrets! He is so grumpy, which makes him even more fun as a character. His sassy observations and humour added levity to the novel.

The writing in this novel was poignant, and heartfelt. As someone who has recently lost important people in her life, I felt validated through the character of Tova, who experiences and deals with her own grief. I loved having Marcellus the Octopus as the narrator! Right from the start, I thought that was such a unique narrative point of view and found it intriguing. Marcellus also provided insights that contributed to the plot, which the humans around him would not have necessarily known. I also loved all the chapter titles - and the fact that the actual titles were used in the chapter itself!

The unlikely bond between Tova and Marcellus, the octopus, reshapes the perceptions of interspecies communication and empathy by showing us that animals understand a lot more than we think they do. Whilst not having the same brain and emotional range as human beings, animals can sometimes show more empathy than some humans! We sometimes think animals can’t understand what we’re going through — and in a lot of instances, they don’t — but what we do share is how we love those we love and the deep grief and pain that accompanies the loss of that love. This unlikely friendship thematically implies that all living beings are connected in some way or have the ability to connect.

Grief hurts and is the deepest pain one can go through. But it is also a beautiful thing, because it connects us all in our collective human experience.

Content Warnings