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A review by mstall_
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
emotional
hopeful
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? No
5.0
I'm sobbing.
Remarkably Bright Creatures was one of those books that I knew I should read but I kept putting off. I finally made myself crack open my copy and now I have no idea what I was avoiding because this book is GOOD.
Tova Sullivan has lived in Sowell Bay, Washington her whole life. Her son, Erik, went missing his senior year without a scrap of information about what happened to him. Years late and still nursing her grief, Tova works as a cleaner at the aquarium near the pier where Erik disappeared. Marcellus, the giant pacific octopus that is housed in the aquarium realizes that he might know how to help Tova understand what happened that night, he will just need to get out of his tank first.
Meanwhile in California, thirty year old Cameron is fired (again) and kicked out of his girlfriend's apartment (again). Dejected, he finds a box of his mom's stuff that she left before she abandoned him with his Aunt Jeanne. Cameron never knew his father and finds evidence in his mom's old box that a Seattle real estate tycoon is his dad. Cameron heads up to Washington to track him down, and instead finds himself tangled up in a decades long search for answers.
I couldn't believe that this is Shelby Van Pelt's first book! Her writing and storytelling is spectacular -- even more so for a debut novel. You will find yourself instantly taken into the story and wanting to speed read to get to the ending. I highly recommend you savor the prose, slow down, and just let the story sweep over you.
Remarkably Bright Creatures was one of those books that I knew I should read but I kept putting off. I finally made myself crack open my copy and now I have no idea what I was avoiding because this book is GOOD.
Tova Sullivan has lived in Sowell Bay, Washington her whole life. Her son, Erik, went missing his senior year without a scrap of information about what happened to him. Years late and still nursing her grief, Tova works as a cleaner at the aquarium near the pier where Erik disappeared. Marcellus, the giant pacific octopus that is housed in the aquarium realizes that he might know how to help Tova understand what happened that night, he will just need to get out of his tank first.
Meanwhile in California, thirty year old Cameron is fired (again) and kicked out of his girlfriend's apartment (again). Dejected, he finds a box of his mom's stuff that she left before she abandoned him with his Aunt Jeanne. Cameron never knew his father and finds evidence in his mom's old box that a Seattle real estate tycoon is his dad. Cameron heads up to Washington to track him down, and instead finds himself tangled up in a decades long search for answers.
I couldn't believe that this is Shelby Van Pelt's first book! Her writing and storytelling is spectacular -- even more so for a debut novel. You will find yourself instantly taken into the story and wanting to speed read to get to the ending. I highly recommend you savor the prose, slow down, and just let the story sweep over you.