Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
on May 3, 2022
Genres: Drama / American / General, Fiction / Animals, Fiction / Family Life / General, Fiction / Fantasy / Humorous, Fiction / Friendship, Fiction / Humorous / Black Humor, Fiction / Humorous / General, Fiction / Literary, Fiction / Magical Realism, Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Cozy / Animals
Pages: 384
Format: Paperback
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
โ๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ๐ด. ๐๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ด๐ต ๐ฑ๐ข๐ณ๐ต, ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ญ๐ญ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ. ๐๐ถ๐ต ๐ฐ๐ค๐ค๐ข๐ด๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐บ, ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ข๐ณ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฃ๐ญ๐บ ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต ๐ค๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด.โ
โMarcellus, Giant Pacific Octopus
Shelby Van Peltโs Remarkably Bright Creatures is one of those books that sneaks up on you. I didnโt expect to enjoy it as much as I didโbut once I started, I couldnโt stop. Heartfelt, quirky, and unexpectedly profound, this debut blends mystery, healing, and an unusual friendship into a story thatโs hard to describeโbut easy to love.
At the heart of the novel is Tova Sullivan, a widow quietly carrying the grief of losing her teenage son decades ago. To keep herself occupied, she takes a job cleaning at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, where she meets the most unlikely companionโMarcellus, a cranky, brilliant giant Pacific octopus with a dry wit and an eye for human behavior. Told in part from his perspective (yes, really), Marcellus quickly became one of my favorite characters. Surprisingly insightful and often funny, he offers both comic relief and emotional depthโand plays a vital role in uncovering the truth behind Tovaโs long-lost son.
The novel is a delicate exploration of grief, found family, second chances, and the surprising ways we find connectionโeven across species. The writing is warm, the pacing never drags, and the characters (both human and octopus) are compelling throughout. Thereโs a quiet magic in how Van Pelt weaves everything together, and I was always eager to see what would happen next.
Remarkably Bright Creatures is a tender, uplifting story full of heart, mystery, and unexpected wisdom. Itโs a standout read that proves sometimes the most remarkable friendships come from the most unlikely places.
The post Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt appeared first on Book Nook Buzz.