Remarkably Bright Creatures - Shelby Van Pelt

Remarkably Bright Creatures

By Shelby Van Pelt

  • Release Date: 2022-05-03
  • Genre: Literary Fiction
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 2,924 Ratings

Description

A Read With Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick!

“Remarkably Bright Creatures is a beautiful examination of how loneliness can be transformed, cracked open, with the slightest touch from another living thing.” -- Kevin Wilson, author of Nothing to See Here

For fans of A Man Called Ove, a charming, witty and compulsively readable exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope that traces a widow's unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus

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.

Reviews

  • Remarkably Bright

    5
    By bookloverjenna
    Loved this book! Takes you through the woes of life and shows you how small the world really is. ♥️ 🌎
  • A MUST read!!

    5
    By Pamela Spesak
    Had me from page one!! I thought it would be one thing but it turned out to be so much more!! I bought it on my iPad, then I went to B&N to buy the hard copy to add it to my library. I will read it again.
  • Just read it

    5
    By MrsLevel
    There is no good description for this book; but I loved every page and cried at the end. A real feel good treasure of a book.
  • Excellent read

    5
    By lthoppy
    I loved this book from the moment I started it. So many life experiences dealt with in a positive way. Being told from the perspective of an octopus was captivating.
  • Great book!

    5
    By VPritchettC
    Thank you for this first novel! It was wonderful!
  • Yesssss

    5
    By annieandstanmom
    Best book I have read in a long while!
  • Remarkably bright creatures

    4
    By z check
    This is a beautiful story…. And you can not help but fall in love with Tova and Marcellus.
  • Good read

    2
    By AGReko
    Good read. Nothing spectacular, but entertaining and new
  • 5 stars

    5
    By Mike H 66
    Kudos to this new author. I rarely give 5 stars. This was deserving. Thank you for writing this.
  • A Pleasant Read

    4
    By JJMilio
    I really enjoyed this book because it was a light, feel good read even though the subject matter was loneliness. I have recommended it to others that like that type of book. I have heard of others that did not like the fictional account of the octopus and thought it went too far. I can see that too. I was in the right mood and loved the tight story despite the too neatly wrapped conclusions.