Remarkably Bright Creatures

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'Remarkably Bright Creatures [is] an ultimately feel-good but deceptively sensitive debut. . . . Memorable and tender.' — Washington Post
'Full of heart and humour . . . I loved it.' Ruth Hogan
'Will stay with you for a long time.' Anstey Harris
'I defy you to put it down once you’ve started' Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney

After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night cleaner shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium. Ever since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat over thirty years ago keeping busy has helped her cope. One night she meets Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium who sees everything, 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 body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it’s too late...

Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel is a reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.

'You won’t be able to put it down because when you’re not reading this book you’ll be hugging it.' Jamie Ford

'Truly original and touching' Helen Hoang

READER REVIEWS
'I couldn't put it down'
'Marvelous, heartwarming, brilliant'
'I enjoyed every second'
'I was gripped from the first page'
‘Read it, there's no way you won't fall in love with Marcellus the octopus!’
‘Goodness me, what a unique and wonderful book.’

“You'll bask in this book's warmth and wit”

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 HERE
Remarkably 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 NEST
A 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 QUOTIENT
Shelby’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 Things
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

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

-- Polly Crosby, author of The Illustrated Child
Remarkable characters, who will stay with you for a long time. -- Anstey Harris, author of The Trials and Triumphs of Grace Atherton
You’ll bask in this book’s warmth and wit Spectrum
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
The best books about grief find a way to illuminate the darkness of loss, and Remarkably Bright Creatures offers a masterclass. — Marie Claire

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

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