I’m late discovering this amazing novel, but glad I finally have. I’m anticipating the Netflix film that will star Sally Field and imagine that even now those involved with the production are searching the ocean and aquariums for the perfect octopus to play one of the main characters.
Shelby Van Pelt’s Remarkably Bright Creatures is a mystery, a love story, a spiritual journey, a water adventure, and a search for hope in an often hopeless world. In other words, it’s what we need right now.
Tova Sullivan’s son, Erik, died when he was 18. Although his body was never found, he was presumed to have been drowned when his sail boat was caught in a vicious storm. After Tova’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium. With no humans present, Tova makes friends with many of the aquatic creatures who watch from their glass enclosures as she mops the floors. One inhabitant is her favorite, a giant Pacific octopus named Marcellus.
Octopuses are considered very intelligent invertebrates and Marcellus would certainly be at the top of his class. As he admits, weighing 60 pounds, he’s a big boy. He’s adept at making himself small in order to escape his tank during the night. He looks for fish snacks in other tanks, one of his favorites: sea cucumbers. He also likes shiny objects that he can take back to his water home and hide in the sand. These excursions must be fast, since Marcellus can only stay out of the water for a certain amount of time before he risks “The Consequences,”presumably his death. One night that nearly happens when he gets tangled in a jumble of cords and, if he hadn’t been rescued by Tova, might have died. That encounter brings Tova and Marcellus even closer.
Marcellus knows where Erik died, where his remains are at the bottom of the sea. He knows he can’t bring Erik back to her, but he has another way to help Tova, leaving her clues that will help her learn what happened to her son.
Sowell is a small town where everyone knows everyone and no secret can be hidden for long. Tova belongs to the Knit-Wits, a small group of women that originally met to knit, but now get together to share stories and gossip. Tova is immune to gossip, but she does value the friendships she has made in the group. One thing she can’t accept, however, is their belief that she’s too old to work at the aquarium and might get injured. Turns out, they’re right. One evening, using a shaky stool, she takes a fall and hurts her ankle. She tells the aquarium’s director, Terry, that she will not be able to work for six weeks.
Cameron Cashmere’s mother disappeared when he was a child and he was raised by his Aunt Jeanne. She gives him a box with some of his mother’s jewelry. inside he finds a class ring along with a photo of his mother, Daphne, with a man he’s never seen before. Scrolling through the Sowell High School reunion page online, he identifies the man as Simon Brinks, who is now a wealthy real estate mogul living near Seattle. Without a job and no money, Cameron decides to find his father and force him to pay for all those years of child support.
Turns out that Brinks is a hard man to meet. When Cameron’s money runs out, he’s hired at the aquarium as Tova’s temporary replacement. Cameron has a history for not being able to hold onto a job. But there’s something about the aquarium that pulls him in. And when Tova begins making regular visits to check in on Marcellus, she and Cameron become friends. Despite their difference in age, they have something in common – knowing what it’s like to be alone. They may be alone, but they have Marcellus. And the very smart octopus will make sure that Tova and Cameron experience a happy ending.
It’s hard to believe Remarkably Bright Creatures is Shelby Van Pelt’s first novel. We can predict it won’t be her last.
Remarkably Bright Creatures
Shelby Van Pelt
Top photo: Bigstock
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