Shelby Van Pelt: Remarkably Bright Creatures

This book was a book club choice, and while the premise sounded a little weird, it ended up being a feel-good book that I enjoyed.

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt follows three different stories. At first, the storylines are disconnected, but gradually they start to line up. Tova lives in a small town in Washington and has recently lost her husband. Cameron is a failure who gives up on everything he's ever tried. Afraid to invest in anything, and desperate to know his parents, Cameron sets out from California to Washington to find his father. Marcellus is an octopus living in the Sowell Bay Aquarium. He alone knows the answers to the mystery of Tova's son, and though he can't communicate it directly, he really is a remarkably bright creature.

This book turned out to be a feel-good, warm, fulfilling novel. If you're looking for a beach read or a cozy, comfort book, this is a great choice.

I loved the sense of mystery throughout this book. It's clear from the start that Tova has some baggage. Not only has she lost her husband recently, but their son also died many years before the start of the novel. No one really knows what happened to him, and Tova has always longed for the closure that some answers would bring. This story is slowly revealed piece by piece throughout the novel, eventually being answered through the complicated weaving of storylines. I think this was ultimately one of the novel's strengths, and I enjoyed how everything was eventually connected.

The plot builds a little slowly, and while that bothered me, I also found myself reading hundreds of pages without really noticing. I finished this book in two or three sessions and I ended up really enjoying it.

The character I liked the least was Cameron, but he's also the character that grows the most. I was bothered by how he started: constantly complaining, blaming everyone else for his problems, and unable to figure out or take control of his life. He finally realizes though, that he has to do something, and so he goes searching for his father. That search ultimately leads him to Sowell Bay, and that's where the stories start to connect. I liked how far he came and how he was able to grow throughout the book.

I rated this book PG and gave it ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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