An old woman, a young man, and an aging octopus walk into an aquarium… stop me if you’ve heard this one!
Tova is a 70-year-old widow who also mysteriously and tragically lost her 18-year-old son decades ago when his boat vanished. Alone and aging her circle is growing smaller and smaller as those close to her continue to die or relocate. She spends her nights cleaning an aquarium where Marcellus, an also aging, giant Pacific octopus resides when he’s not trying to break free of his enclosure. Into the picture enters listless Cameron who was raised by his aunt and spent his whole life wondering why his parents didn’t want him. He’s in town trying to track down his father with little evidence to go on.
You know that saying, never judge a book by its cover? Well, I totally did in this case and it very much worked in my favor. That gorgeously bright cover just begged me to crack it open and I’m glad I did.
Remarkably Bright Creatures is an incredibly charming story. Marcellus the octopus is beyond endearing and his character totally works. Marcellus is a sentient being who narrates parts of the story, but he never directly speaks with the humans or anything like that. The story arc is engaging and satisfying, there’s mystery, love, friendship, and second chances; really, this is just the heartwarming story we all need right now.
Thanks so much to Ecco Books for the review copy!
That Bookish Life 