Bayou Pages | “Remarkably Bright Creatures”by Shelby Van Pelt

REVIEW BY MEREDITH MCKINNIE

“Humans are the only species who subvert truth for their own entertainment. They call them jokes. Sometimes puns.”

In Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel Remarkably Bright Creatures, we meet Marcellus, the Giant Pacific octopus, who lives in an aquarium on the West Coast. You got that right – an octopus is one of the story’s narrators, a feat Pelt carries off seamlessly by writing superbly human characters, tentacles or not. Highly intuitive, prone to mischief, and dabbling in detective work, Marcellus forms a bond with 70-year-old Tova who cleans the aquarium in the evenings. Thirty years removed from the grief of losing her only son, and shortly after the death of her husband, Tova takes pride in her work, a distraction from the loneliness she feels. While debating a move into an assisted living facility far from the only home she’s ever known, Tova contemplates how she envisions the final chapter of her life. Likewise, Marcellus is keenly aware of the 4-year lifespan of his breed and that his days are numbered. But even in his melancholia, Marcellus devotes his remaining energy into uncovering the mystery of Tova’s son’s death.  We also meet Cameron, a 30-year-old drifter, intent on finding his father after his mother abandoned him as a child. A clue lands Cameron in the West Coast town, and he takes up extra shifts for Tova, though he is unable to connect with Marcellus. The two battle over Marcellus’s nightly escapes from his tank, as Cameron wants to finish his work without distraction. These details are just the start of a masterclass in character development, as Pelt fashions people and an octopus that we think we know by the novel’s conclusion. While suspending disbelief for an octopus’s ruminations on the end of his life might not sound like an appealing escape, Marcellus is the heart of this novel, echoed by the intense understanding with Tova and the desperate longing of Cameron. What transpires is a comical, yet heartfelt, meditation on grief, acceptance, and hope. 

This novel has remained on the NY Times bestseller list for almost 2 years, becoming even more popular in its second year of printing. Bookstore owners insist people come in asking for “the octopus book,” and they know just what readers are after. Pelt began composing the book in a creative writing class after being asked to tell a story from a unique perspective. Heart means word-of-mouth, and this novel benefits from both. If you are not privy to the rare genius of the octopus, grab this book. And I’ll take this opportunity to plug My Octopus Teacher on Netflix, one of the most captivating documentaries I’ve seen and the impetus for picking up Pelt’s novel. I smiled from the inside out while engaging in both octopus stories, and my respect for these “remarkably bright creatures” swelled. 

“Humans. For the most part, you are dull and blundering. But occasionally, you can be remarkably bright creatures.”