Book Review: Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt
A sappy story about an old lady, a failson, and a giant Pacific octopus.
Ecco, 2022, 368 pages
After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.
Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors-until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.
Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova’s son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it’s too late.
Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.
This was a cute story with a cute and predictable meant-to-be-tearjerking ending. The only really novel thing about it is the insertion of a giant Pacific octopus named Marcellus into the story.
As we all know, octopi are really smart. Possibly up there with chimpanzees and dolphins. The author gives Marcellus sentience, so that he can narrate his observations from his prison in the Sowell Bay Aquarium. He makes friends with a cleaning lady named Tova, who never fully appreciates how smart he is but still treats him like a person.
Tova is a sweet old widow still living with the loss of her son thirty years ago. He vanished in the Puget Sound, and most believe it was suicide. Tova never got answers, or closure, so she just muddles on with her life, making plans to move into a retirement home soon as she is all alone, despite the best efforts of a gruff Scottish grocer to woo her.
Meanwhile, Cam is a thirty-year old man-child suffering from terminal failure-to-launch syndrome. He's just lost another job, his girlfriend has kicked him out, and his best friends are putting a hard deadline on his couch surfing. But when he suddenly discovers evidence that the father he never knew might be a rich real estate developer up in Puget Sound, he heads there basically intending to shake down his old man. What he finds is a menial job at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, and (inexplicably) a hot girlfriend. And he also befriends Tova, though he and Marcellus do not exactly warm up to each other.
If you can see where the story is going, congratulations, you're right. The connecting thread is Marcellus, who engages in some cephalopod antics to help these two hapless humans.
Accept the idea that an octopus can actually learn about human society (and language) by watching them from an aquarium, and this story of a man, a woman, and an octopus is kind of a Hallmark movie for marine biologists. This is decent literary fiction, the characters are all well-drawn and likeable, and the plot runs smoothly if predictably. There's nothing remarkably brilliant here, but it was pleasant.
My complete list of book reviews.
Ecco, 2022, 368 pages
After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.
Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors-until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.
Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova’s son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it’s too late.
Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.
This was a cute story with a cute and predictable meant-to-be-tearjerking ending. The only really novel thing about it is the insertion of a giant Pacific octopus named Marcellus into the story.
As we all know, octopi are really smart. Possibly up there with chimpanzees and dolphins. The author gives Marcellus sentience, so that he can narrate his observations from his prison in the Sowell Bay Aquarium. He makes friends with a cleaning lady named Tova, who never fully appreciates how smart he is but still treats him like a person.
Tova is a sweet old widow still living with the loss of her son thirty years ago. He vanished in the Puget Sound, and most believe it was suicide. Tova never got answers, or closure, so she just muddles on with her life, making plans to move into a retirement home soon as she is all alone, despite the best efforts of a gruff Scottish grocer to woo her.
Meanwhile, Cam is a thirty-year old man-child suffering from terminal failure-to-launch syndrome. He's just lost another job, his girlfriend has kicked him out, and his best friends are putting a hard deadline on his couch surfing. But when he suddenly discovers evidence that the father he never knew might be a rich real estate developer up in Puget Sound, he heads there basically intending to shake down his old man. What he finds is a menial job at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, and (inexplicably) a hot girlfriend. And he also befriends Tova, though he and Marcellus do not exactly warm up to each other.
If you can see where the story is going, congratulations, you're right. The connecting thread is Marcellus, who engages in some cephalopod antics to help these two hapless humans.
Accept the idea that an octopus can actually learn about human society (and language) by watching them from an aquarium, and this story of a man, a woman, and an octopus is kind of a Hallmark movie for marine biologists. This is decent literary fiction, the characters are all well-drawn and likeable, and the plot runs smoothly if predictably. There's nothing remarkably brilliant here, but it was pleasant.
My complete list of book reviews.