'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 ' Unique and luminous' Booklist starred review _ READER REVIEWS 'I couldn't put it down' 'Marvelous, heartwarming, brilliant' 'I enjoyed every second' 'I was gripped from the first page' 'I was completely charmed by this story'Ī beautiful examination of how loneliness can be transformed, cracked open, with the slightest touch from another living thing. 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. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it's too late. Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova's son disappeared.

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 since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat over thirty years ago keeping busy has helped her cope. 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. 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.BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB PICK GOOD HOUSEKEEPING BEST BOOKS OF 2022 GLAMOUR BEST BOOKS OF 2022 'Full of heart and humour. Each character is profoundly human, with flaws and eccentricities crafted with care.

'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.

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 '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. 'Brilliant upcoming novel about hope and reckoning.

'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 debut novel about a woman who befriends an octopus is a charming, warmhearted read.' - Kirkus Reviews '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.

Book review remarkably bright creatures