Review of REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES by Shelby Van Pelt

 3 Stars

If you are looking for a light, simple read with a predictably happy ending, this book is for you.

Seventy-year-old Tova Sullivan works as a nighttime cleaner at a small aquarium near Puget Sound in Washington State.  Recently widowed, she likes to keep busy:  “She understands what it means to never be able to stop moving, lest you find yourself unable to breathe.”  She has never fully recovered from the loss of her 18-year-old son Erik over three decades earlier.  At the aquarium, she establishes a relationship with Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus who is approaching the end of his life.  She also meets Cameron, a feckless man who has come north from California looking for his father. 

Some of the chapters are narrated by Marcellus, and these are the most interesting.  I know that octopuses are ranked as the most intelligent invertebrates, but Marcellus is truly exceptional, so the reader needs to suspend disbelief.  He even possesses emotional intelligence.  He is a curmudgeon who has a high opinion of himself but not of humans.  I loved his comments on humans whom he calls “dull and blundering.”  I would have preferred more chapters from his point of view.

The character who is most irritating is Cameron.  He is thirty years old, but behaves like a whiny, selfish teenager who blames others, never taking personal responsibility for his actions.  He is supposed to be intelligent but this claim is never supported by his actions.  Even though he has been shown the meaning of an inscription on one school ring, he misconstrues the engraving on another?  When searching for a wealthy, rather famous, man, he never conducts an internet search or uses social media?

On the other hand, Tova is a totally likeable character with whom the reader cannot but empathize.  She has had so much loss in her life, and now she is growing old alone.  The death of her son has scarred her; the conclusion that he committed suicide only adds to her grief.  Despite her suffering, she is kind to everyone she meets.

The plot is predictable.  Marcellus actually figures out how Tova and Cameron’s stories intertwine.  The interest lies in how the cephalopod can help them see what seems so obvious to him.  It does take a while so there are times the reader may find him/herself agreeing with Marcellus’s low opinion of human intelligence.

The book’s message seems to be the importance of making meaningful connections.  Opening up one’s mind and heart to others (whether a cat, an octopus, or another human) can only enrich one’s life. 

This is not a literary masterpiece, but an enjoyable piece of escapist fiction.  Though a bit too sweet and sentimental, it is charming and warm-hearted, a feel-good story.