Book Review: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

“Secrets are everywhere. Some humans are crammed full of them. How do they not explode? It seems to be a hallmark of the human species: abysmal communication skills.”

Shelby Van Pelt, Remarkably Bright Creatures

Review:

The cover of this book has been jumping out at me since it was published and I’ve heard a number of different people reviewing it and speaking about it, but for some reason, I wasn’t super interested in picking it up (the idea of a narrating octopus, perhaps?) until a friend of mine gave a glowing recommendation. 

Tova doesn’t have much in her life after the deaths of her husband and son. Her son’s mysterious and sudden death particularly weighs on her. Her job cleaning the Sowell Bay Aquarium is more or less what keeps her going, much to her friends’ chagrin as they wish to see her retire. 

Tova forges an unlikely friendship with the aquarium’s octopus, Marcellus. Tova realizes something exceptional about this sea creature (apart from his escape artist capabilities). In turn, Marcellus tries to communicate to her the answers she’s desperately been looking for surrounding her son’s death. 

This book was so heartwarming and I liked seeing an older protagonist in a realistic light rather than an over-the-top 70-year-old trying to act like a 30-year-old. Though the story is mainly centered on Tova, we also see bits of narration from Marcellus and a man named Cameron, whom Tova meets as the story progresses. 

Honestly, I think without the addition of Cameron’s POV this would have been a full five starts for me. He had good character growth but was insufferable in the beginning and I didn’t find myself caring what happened to him. He did grow on me though, but I don’t think he necessarily had to be a main voice in the story. The heart of the story is Tova and Marcellus for sure. 

Likes & Dislikes:

What I liked:

• Marcellus! He was so charming and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed his chapters given he was the reason I hesitated to pick it up.
• An older protagonist.
• The sense of found family.

What I didn’t like:

• As I said, Cameron was hard to take in the beginning and felt like a major distraction from the main story. Even once he grew on me, I still didn’t particularly care about his life outside of his interactions with Tova.
• There were a number of side plots that didn’t make up a whole.

Afterthoughts:

I’m so grateful for this recommendation! Thank you Katlin!

Where to buy the book: