Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

 

What is your favorite book of 2025 so far?  Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt is one of my favorite reads for 2025.

Tova Sullivan started working the night shift at Sowell Bay Aquarium after her husband passed away.  She still grieves the mysterious death of her son 30 years ago.  At the aquarium, she strikes up an unlikely friendship with Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus.  When a young man, Cameron, moves to town, will Marcellus and Tova be able to help him with his own investigations and putting his life back together?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I read this novel in September for the Page-turners Book Group at the Kewaunee Public Library. The entire book club that was at the meeting loved it.  While we enjoyed Marcellus the octopus it was important to note that this was not a book about a talking octopus.  It was a book about relationships and life.

·       This book was surprisingly a debut novel.  I can’t wait to see what Shelby Van Pelt writes next!

·       This was a Read with Jenna selection and was also a Goodreads Choice Awards Winnter for Best Fiction 2022.

·       There was a major theme of grief in this story and how to deal with it.

·       It was a unique way to tell a story.  It was told mainly through Tova and Cameron’s point of views with Marcellus having short chapters to further the progress of the story.  His chapters may have been short, but he brought a lot to the story.

·       I heard the audiobook was great and that there will be a movie version soon.  I can’t wait to watch it.

·       I loved Tova.  She was a great character learning to deal with loneliness and grief.  I loved her group of friends too and the small town that they lived in.

·       Cameron annoyed me at first, but I loved his growth throughout the novel.

·       The characters felt real.

·       This story had a bit of magical realism with a talking octopus.  He is “talking” in that he narrates his chapters and communicates with people with objects that he finds.

·       I liked the Puget Sound setting.

Overall, Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt was a beautifully written heartwarming story with a great ending. 

Book Source:  I had already purchased this book before book club with a gift card and was waiting to read it with one of my book clubs.