Remarkably Bright Creatures: A Novel Spiral-Bound | 2025-04-29

Shelby Van Pelt

$18.09 - Free Shipping
This deluxe edition features sprayed and stenciled edges, silver foil, and a reading group guide. A New York Times Bestseller * A Read With Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick Soon to be a Netflix Film " Remarkably Bright Creatures [is] an ultimately feel-good but deceptively sensitive debut. . . . Memorable and tender." -- Washington Post A charming, witty and compulsively readable exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope that traces 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. Read more
Publisher: Ecco Press
Original Binding: Paperback
Pages: 384 pages
Item Weight: 0.7 lbs
Dimensions: 5.4 x 1.1 x 7.9 inches
“The best books about grief find a way to illuminate the darkness of loss, and Remarkably Bright Creatures offers a masterclass." - Marie Claire
"A unique and luminous book." - Booklist (starred review)
“A heartwarming novel to suit any mood.” - New York Times
“A debut novel about a woman who befriends an octopus is a charming, warmhearted read.” - Kirkus Reviews
“As Van Pelt’s zippy, fun-to-follow prose engages at every turn, readers will find themselves rooting for the many characters, hoping that they’ll find whatever it is they seek. Each character is profoundly human, with flaws and eccentricities crafted with care. But what makes Van Pelt’s novel most charming and joyful is the tender friendship between species, and the ways Tova and Marcellus make each other ever more remarkable and bright.” - BookPage
Remarkably Bright Creatures [is] an ultimately feel-good but deceptively sensitive debut about what it feels like to have love taken from you, only to find it again in the most unexpected places. . . . Memorable and tender.” - Washington Post
“Infused with heartfelt humor, Van Pelt’s elegant portrait of a widowed woman who finds understanding and connection with a clever octopus is refreshingly, if surprisingly, relatable. Despite the unorthodox relationship at its core, the debut novel offers a wholly original meditation on grief and the bonds that keep us afloat.” - Elle
“ [B]eautiful novel about friendship and family.”  - GoodHousekeeping.com
“[B]rilliant upcoming novel about hope and reckoning." - Business Insider
“Truly original and touching, Remarkably Bright Creatures is a story of family, community, and optimism in spite of darkness. Prepare to fall in love with a most exceptional octopus.” - Helen Hoang, author of The Heart Principle

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