Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt was given to me by my lovely grandmother. She had an extra after accidentally ordering two online and decided to give one to me. And boy am I glad she did!
Remarkably Bright Creatures is about the unlikely friendship between a giant Pacific Octopus, Marcellus, and an old woman, Tova Sullivan. She began working at the aquarium after her husband died, keeping busy has always been her way to cope, especially since losing her 18-year-old son Erik who mysteriously vanished 30 years ago. Marcellus deduces what happened the night Erik disappeared and must use all his strength to tell Tova to help her before it’s all too late.
As always, I absolutely recommend this book, though it could get long sometimes. But I was always excited to see what Marcellus had to say, I often looked forward to what he had to say before finally getting into the events of the book. Tova and Marcellus soon became only some of the interesting characters that filled the book. There are many more surprises that can be found.
My only critique is that at times some sections of the book felt a little boring. But I think that goes away the further in the book you go. I think this book definitely wouldn’t be a favorite among many teenagers, I doubt many would even pick up this book. And yet I found it quite good– so you should be able to enjoy it too!
My absolute favorite part of this book (spoilers) is when it’s revealed that humans are remarkably bright creatures and that the title isn’t referring to the marvelous Marcellus- but rather us. That little twist made me like the book even more. I recommend this book and I think it would be especially good for book clubs and would be enjoyable for the whole family.
I rate this book: 
