I am not ashamed to admit I chose this book because of its cover. It has a whimsical design with a giant orange octopus on the front and swimming fish and other sea creatures flanking its edges; it is a book design that is so distinctive that it made me double back to the airport bookstore where it first caught my eye. While the adage “don’t judge a book by its cover,” is generally true, in this case Van Pelt’s, “Remarkably Bright Creatures,” proved to be an exception to the rule.
The protagonists in “Remarkably Bright Creatures” are Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus who has lived in captivity since his rescue following a life-threatening injury, and Tova, the night shift custodian at the aquarium where Marcellus resides.
Marcellus and Tova strike up an unlikely but heartwarming friendship as they navigate together their individual heartbreaks. Marcellus struggles to come to terms with his mortality; he has surpassed the typical lifespan for an octopus and worries that his impending death will come while he remains in captivity. Tova immerses herself in work as a distraction from two painful losses – her husband’s recent death from cancer and the decades-long unsolved mystery of her son Erik’s disappearance. It is not a spoiler to share that, together, Marcellus and Tova ultimately solve this mystery. Knowing this plot point will not undermine your appreciation of Van Pelt’s wonderful story telling and the way that she weaves together Marcellus’ and Tova’s narratives along with narrative arcs of other characters.
What is most impressive is the way that Van Pelt shifts voices between chapters, giving each character a distinctive voice while building a story that shifted narratives smoothly. While in this book Van Pelt creates multiple characters for whom the reader is cheering, Marcellus the octopus is arguably the hero. His observations about the humans he encounters see saw between brutal criticism and poignant affection, yet Van Pelt manages to balance this duality without making Marcellus either overly moralistic or overly saccharine.
The book has elements of both a buddy comedy and a mystery novel, so if you are a fan of either of those genres, I am confident you will enjoy “Remarkably Bright Creatures.” But because Van Pelt captures so well the essence of the human experience and its profound highs and lows – I both laughed and cried while reading this book - this is a book I would truly recommend to anyone.
Van Pelt’s masterful blending of character-driven and plot-driven story telling in this, her first novel, makes me excited to read her future books as well. Because of this book, though, I will be extra vigilant with my personal belongings around the octopus tank the next time I visit an aquarium just in case I encounter a clever kleptomaniac like Marcellus.
Until the next episode of Likely Stories, I hope you find a good book that helps you to learn about people and places both real and imaginary!
