Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

Tis the season for a heartwarming story and though I’m late to the game, REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES by Shelby Van Pelt has taken a chill off these gray days.

Tova is a 70-year-old widow who cleans after hours at the Sowell Bay Aquarium. One night while mopping the floors, she finds the giant Pacific octopus, Marcellus, out of his tank and tangled in power chords in the break room. What she doesn’t know is that Marcellus leaves his tank every night in search of more delectable nourishment than the chopped mackerel the aquarium feeds him.

Keeping busy has always been Tova’s antidote for grief. She took the job after her eighteen-year-old son Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat on the Puget Sound thirty years ago. After her husband’s more recent death, she was lonely, despite her well-meaning group of friends the Knit Wits.

Marcellus, like all octopi, is a remarkably bright creature – but he may be unique in his perceptiveness. He senses Tova’s sadness, and he wants to help solve the mystery of her son’s disappearance before his short life (1,461 days to be exact) is over. He is aware of his species short lifespan and counts down the days in his alternating narrative.

Cameron, another lost soul, comes to the aquarium in search of a job. He has a history of failed relationships and employment. Abandoned at the age of nine, he was raised by his aunt, and though he has no idea if his mother is alive, he is looking for the father he never knew. Initially, his motives are not pure, but we come to know the brokenness in this young man and understand what he really needs.

REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES is a story about family and community and how our relationships can fill our emptiest places. Whether those relationships are with the creatures we care for, the families we choose, or the community we engage with, they cast light on the shadows of our life. The story of Marcellus and Tova’s friendship is charming. Marcellus is witty and wise, and his alternating narration lends a touch of magic to the story for which I’m more than happy to suspend disbelief.