The lifespan of a Giant Pacific octopus is around 1,460 days. Marcellus, a Giant Pacific octopus, has been in captivity at Sowell Bay Aquarium for 1,299 days. His time is running out, and all he wants to do is help the elderly woman who works for the aquarium. Remarkably Bright Creatures is a story about an unusual friendship between humans and an octopus that will leave readers feeling both sad and inspired.
At seventy years old, Tova Sullivan is the cleaner at the Sowell Bay Aquarium. Tova lost her only son after he drowned in the sea thirty years earlier. Later, she lost her husband to cancer. After she befriended Marcellus, the aquarium’s irritable octopus, the two formed an inseparable connection.
Cameron Cassmore has lived with his aunt in California since he was nine years old. His mother left him and he never knew his father. After he found a photo taken in Sowell Bay of his mom with a man he assumes is his father, Cameron left California to find him.
Taking place in the fictional Washington town of Sowell Bay, Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt is a great book about family and grief. It’s written from the perspectives of Tova, Cameron, and Marcellus. Having an older perspective from Tova was an enjoyable change since a lot of books have young main characters. She’s very neat and put together, whereas Cameron is the complete opposite. Cameron’s growth as a person throughout the story was great to see. He was pretty immature at the start of the book until he met Tova. Cameron and Tova’s friendship was moving because despite being so far apart in age and living completely different lives, they both helped each other in a lot of ways at the end.
Seeing the story unfold from Marcellus’s point of view was really interesting, considering he is an octopus. He’s extremely intelligent and he breaks out of his tank most nights while the aquarium is closed. Tova is the only one who knew about his late-night adventures which is how they became so close. Marcellus is a very entertaining character because of how funny he is without trying. He speaks in a very expressive way and tends to be overly critical of humans. In the end, though, he was very caring and only wanted the best for Tova.
Remarkably Bright Creatures emphasizes the importance of family and how they aren’t always what you would expect. It shows the struggles of losing loved ones and grief. Although it felt a little slow in the beginning, I really enjoyed this story. It gets a lot more exciting farther into the book. The plot was a bit predictable but there were still many parts to it that surprised me. I loved how everything came together in the end and revealed how each character was connected. Tova’s relationship with Marcellus was really sweet and written very well. Marcellus is such a fun character and he definitely made this book worth reading. I also liked Cameron’s role in the story, even though I found him a bit annoying at first. Marcellus brought both Cameron and Tova together and helped them find closure even though he was towards the end of his life. He was by far my favorite character. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt is a truly touching book. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a book that’s new and unexpected.
