Book guide
Remarkably Bright Creatures
A grieving widow and a brilliant octopus form an unlikely friendship that may finally solve the decades-old mystery of her son's disappearance.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
About Remarkably Bright Creatures
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 mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago. Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a brilliant, giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus wouldn't dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors--until he forms a 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.
Reading signals
- Spice
- None
- Darkness
- Balanced
- Pacing
- Balanced
Content warnings
- grief
- death of child
- child drowning
- death of spouse from cancer
- parental abandonment
- addiction
- drug use
- animal death
- suicide attempt
- terminal illness
- sexual content
