The Verdict
If you’ve seen the octopus on every bookstore table, or you just watched the Netflix movie, this one’s for you. Today it’s Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt.
My verdict: read it. It’s warm, funny, and quietly heartbreaking, and the octopus narrator is a total delight. But it’s predictable, and the middle leans hard on coincidence. I give it four out of five, with no spoilers.
The Setup
Tova Sullivan is seventy, widowed, and works the night shift cleaning a small aquarium in Sowell Bay, a fading town on Puget Sound, in Washington state. She talks to the fish while she mops.
Thirty years ago, her only son, Erik, disappeared one summer night at eighteen. His boat was found later. Everyone decided it was suicide. Tova never believed it.
Marcellus
Then there’s Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus, who narrates his own short chapters. He’s grumpy, brilliant, and very rude about humans.
He counts the days of his captivity. A giant Pacific octopus lives about four years, and he’s already used most of his. At night, he sneaks out of his tank to raid the other exhibits.
The Meeting
One night, Tova finds Marcellus tangled in power cords on the break room floor, and frees him. From then on, they’re friends: an old woman who keeps everyone at a distance, and an octopus who can’t stand people.
Marcellus can do something nobody else can. He notices things.
Cameron
The third thread is Cameron Cassmore, a thirty year old in California who can’t keep a job. His mother left him with his aunt when he was nine. He’s never known his father.
When he finds a clue about who his father might be, he heads to Sowell Bay. And you can probably guess where his path crosses with Tova’s.
What Works
First, Marcellus. His chapters are short, sharp and funny, and he gives the book its heart and its humor. He’s the reason it’s a bestseller.
Second, Tova. She’s prickly, proud and lonely, and her grief is written with real care. Her friends, the Knit-Wits, add a lot of comedy.
Third, the setting. The foggy little town, the aquarium at night, the pier. It’s cozy in the best way.
What Doesn’t
Now the honest part. First, it’s predictable. Most readers will guess the big connection early.
Second, the coincidences. A lot of the plot depends on people being in exactly the right place, and Marcellus doing exactly the right thing.
Third, Cameron. He’s frustrating on purpose, but his chapters drag compared with Tova’s and Marcellus’s.
The Tone
If you’re wondering about the mood: this is gentle book club fiction. There’s grief and loss, but no violence on the page and nothing explicit.
It’s the kind of book people recommend to their moms, and their moms recommend right back.
The Scorecard
My scores. Characters, four and a half. Marcellus, five out of five. Plot, three. Emotional payoff, four and a half. Writing, four. That averages to four and a fifth, so call it four.
Who It’s For
Read it if you loved A Man Called Ove or Lessons in Chemistry, if you like a found family story, or if you’ve ever wondered what an octopus is thinking.
Skip it if you want surprises and twists, or if quiet, slow building stories aren’t your thing.
Where To Go Next
I’ve also made an ending explained, a book versus Netflix movie comparison, and a list of books to read next. They’re linked below. Tell me in the comments: did Marcellus make you cry?
