Remarkably Bright Creatures, an exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope, tracing a widow’s unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus.

After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.

Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors–until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.

Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova’s son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it’s too late.

Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.

First off, let me just say that I am so behind on this one. Like, I didn’t just miss the hype train – I missed it, watched it go by, waved at it, and then somehow missed the next one, too. I was finally able to nail this one down thanks to a reading prompt: “Read a book with an animal as a main character.” I am so glad I finally made the time because it was exactly what my soul needed. Warm, gentle, a little quirky, and full of quiet hope – it’s the kind of story that sneaks up on your heart and squeezes it tightly.

The book mostly focuses on Tova Sullivan, a 70-year-old woman with more emotional strength than anyone I know. I adored her. Truly. If I could adopt her as my honorary grandma, I would do it in a heartbeat. She’s a woman who has endured more than her fair share of loss – her son Erik vanished without a trace 30 years ago when he was just a teen, her husband passed away from cancer, and recently, her brother died too. And yet? Tova is this stoic, dignified force of nature who doesn’t wallow. She cleans. She organizes. She shows up. Her grief simmers beneath the surface, but it never defines her. There’s something so powerful in the way she just keeps moving, even when it’s hard.

Her nightly cleaning shifts at the Sowell Bay Aquarium in Northwest Washington State give her structure and purpose, and it’s there that she meets the most unlikely of friends: Marcellus, the grumpy but deeply intelligent Pacific octopus with a serious attitude and a surprisingly soft heart. I loved this dude – he definitely stole the show. His chapters were witty, observant, occasionally snarky, and full of hidden emotion. He may be stuck in a tank, but he sees everything, especially when it comes to the messy, beautiful humans around him.

What I loved most about the way the author used Marcellus was that he’s not just comic relief or some quirky gimmick. He’s essential. His connection with Tova is the emotional heart of the story, and the fact that he’s determined to help her uncover the truth about what happened to her son makes it all the more poignant.

Among the other amazing characters in the story is Cameron, a young man drifting through life, searching for meaning (and his father). I’ll admit I didn’t warm to him instantly – he’s a bit of a mess at first – but he grew on me. His story intertwines with Tova’s in ways that are both poignant and satisfying, and watching these very different characters orbit each other until, eventually, they collide in the best way was just so heartwarming.

Honestly, one of my favorite things about this book was how it brought together such an unlikely group of people (and cephalopods). The small-town charm of Sowell Bay, the delightful cast of side characters (shoutout to the “Knit Wits,” Tova’s gaggle of friends), and the overarching themes of loss, healing, and found family makes the book work extremely well. The whole thing had this gentle, hopeful rhythm to it.

This book really touched me and often had me smiling like an absolute fool. It’s one of those reads that feels like a hot cup of coffee and a warm chocolate chip cookie on a cold day. If you’re feeling the weight of the world and all its craziness pressing down a little too hard, let Tova and Marcellus lift you back up. I promise you – they’re worth spending time with.

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