“Humans. For the most part, you are dull and blundering. But occasionally, you can be remarkably bright creatures.”–Shelby Van Pelt, Remarkably Bright Creatures
How can you not love a story that has a brilliant, escape prone octopus as a main character?! Marcellus is a giant Pacific octopus living at the Sowell Bay Aquarium who constantly looks down on the unintelligent human life forms around him. Despite his disdain for humans, he forms a unique friendship with Tova. Tova, a widow whose only son died, works the night cleaning shift at the aquarium. She assists Marcellus out of a difficult situation when he escapes one night and their friendship begins. The circumstances of Tova’s son’s death are a mystery and Marcellus is determined to figure out what happened–and find a way to let Tova know.
Marcellus is delightful, if a little grumpy and the human characters are relatable and real. Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel is sweet and satisfying. I enjoyed this book a lot.
Content Advisory: Reference to suicide, some language, references to sex