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A review by stephbakerbooks
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
emotional
reflective
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? Yes
4.0
This was a sweet story with a lot of quirky characters that will feel like a warm hug by the end of it.
We get three points of views: Tova, a young man named Cameron, and then Marcellus the octopus. Obviously having an octopus narrate part of the story was a little odd at first; but there's nothing else "fantastical" to this story, so once I just accepted Marcellus, I looked forward to his chapters—he's such a unique, funny, and endearing character! You can tell the author did her research on octopuses too. He's definitely the stand-out character from this book, but I enjoyed the human characters too. Both Tova and Cameron get nice development over the course of the plot, and we even get development and complexity from side characters. No one felt like they were in the book just to serve the plot and I loved that.
The plot itself was fairly predictable. There were no surprises as the familiar storyline played out; and yet it was still really enjoyable. Maybe Marcellus gave it that special something, but I think it was just a good story too, despite its predictability. You could tell the author cared about her characters, which in turn makes me care about them.
Overall, a heartwarming story to read, especially at this time of year, especially after the craziness of the past two years. Sometimes you need a book that won't surprise you or make you cry—but it makes you feel something regardless.
We get three points of views: Tova, a young man named Cameron, and then Marcellus the octopus. Obviously having an octopus narrate part of the story was a little odd at first; but there's nothing else "fantastical" to this story, so once I just accepted Marcellus, I looked forward to his chapters—he's such a unique, funny, and endearing character! You can tell the author did her research on octopuses too. He's definitely the stand-out character from this book, but I enjoyed the human characters too. Both Tova and Cameron get nice development over the course of the plot, and we even get development and complexity from side characters. No one felt like they were in the book just to serve the plot and I loved that.
The plot itself was fairly predictable. There were no surprises as the familiar storyline played out; and yet it was still really enjoyable. Maybe Marcellus gave it that special something, but I think it was just a good story too, despite its predictability. You could tell the author cared about her characters, which in turn makes me care about them.
Overall, a heartwarming story to read, especially at this time of year, especially after the craziness of the past two years. Sometimes you need a book that won't surprise you or make you cry—but it makes you feel something regardless.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Animal death, Cursing, and Death
Minor: Suicide and Suicide attempt