Book of the Month
Remarkably Bright Creatures
After her son's mysterious disappearance thirty years ago, Tova Sullivan works the night shift cleaning a small aquarium on the Washington coast — quietly, methodically, grieving in the way people do when grief has become just another part of the routine. Then she meets Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus with an extraordinary mind, a long memory, and a fondness for escaping his tank. He has noticed Tova. And he knows something about what happened to her son.
Shelby Van Pelt's debut novel is a word-of-mouth phenomenon for good reason: it is both deeply, surprisingly funny and genuinely moving. The narration alternates between Tova's quiet perseverance and Marcellus's wry, precise observations about the humans who walk past his tank — and the contrast is irresistible. It is a book about grief, about the things we lose and the ones we keep looking for, and about the unexpected places where connection finds you.
Best for readers who want something warm and original without being saccharine — a book that earns every emotion it asks you to feel. Perfect if you loved The Midnight Library, A Man Called Ove, or The Thursday Murder Club.