Remarkably Bright Creatures

A winningly totally original feel-good mystery packed with memorable characters that, once started, demands to be finished * Irish Independent *A beautiful examination of how loneliness can be transformed, cracked open, with the slightest touch from another living thing. Shelby Van Pelt makes good on this wild conceit, somehow making me love a misanthropic octopus, but her writing is so finely tuned that it’s a natural element of a larger story about family, about loss and the electricity of something found – Kevin Wilson, author of NOTHING TO SEE HERERemarkably Bright Creatures is the rarest of feats: a book that manages to be wry and wise, charming and surprising, and features one of the most intriguing and satisfying characters I’ve encountered in fiction in a very long time – Marcellus the Octopus. I don’t know how Shelby Van Pelt managed to make this uncommon tale sing so beautifully, but sing it does, and I defy you to put it down once you’ve started – Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, author of THE NESTA unique and luminous book * Booklist *Truly original and touching, Remarkably Bright Creatures is a story of family, community, and optimism in spite of darkness. Prepare to fall in love – Helen Hoang, author of THE KISS QUOTIENTShelby’s characters are unique and yet completely relatable … It is a fresh and fascinating story full of heart and humour and I loved it. – Ruth Hogan, author of The Keeper of Lost ThingsAn 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 *

A warm and satisfying book. It wrapped itself around me, luring me into the many mysteries hidden just beneath the surface.

Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Shelby Van Pelt lives in the suburbs of Chicago with her family. This is her first novel.