During her rounds, Tova interacts with the exhibits at the aquarium. She greets the wolf eels with a hearty hello. While dusting the sea lion statue, she gives it's nose a playful boop for good luck. But when it comes to the site's most popular attraction, she gives what's inside the tank more than her fair share of attention. The exhibit in question is a 60-lb coral orange Giant Pacific Octopus named Marcellus.
Unknown to Tova, Marcellus is resting in the bottom of his tank with a secret. Before his time in captivity, as a small octopus, Marcellus came across a solemn sight. Decades earlier a young man had drowned inside the crevice of some jagged rocks. All that remained was some pieces of rubber from a pair of shoes that had long since disintegrated in the Pacific. Also surviving the elements was a key chain that contained an odd looking house key. One of which is exactly like the one Tova wears on the belt clip on her hip!
Another secret Marcellus keeps is that he likes to escape his tank and raid the other tanks in the aquarium for snacks. Turns out a Giant Pacific Octopus can live outside of water for about 15 minutes. The sea cucumbers are particularly tasty. One night, Marcellus decides to raid the break room and ends up getting tangled in some power cords. With time running out, Tova comes to the rescue, forever earning Marcellus' respect. In return for saving his life, Marcellus makes it his mission to inform Tova of his childhood discovery. While an octopus is a remarkably bright creature, there is such a thing as a language barrier between him and Tova.
I discovered this 2022 book after seeing a trailer for the Netflix live action adaptation. A mystery starring an octopus as the sleuth! I was already in love with The Sheep Detectives franchise. So it felt like a no-brainer to give Remarkably Bright Creatures a try. Unfortunately I don't have Netflix. (I'm a Ludite, I know) Thankfully, there was the book! Plus, I was headed for the beach and despite vacationing off the Atlantic coast, it was a very fitting read.
I did read this book as slow as I probably could. That's because I didn't want to reach the end when one of the characters will die. I don't think that's too much of a spoiler. The death is foretold on the second page. If you are one of those bookstore shoppers who needs to read a couple of pages before deciding on whether or not to buy the book, you'll know who dies. This is a book about aging and death, and trying to cope with loss. It's just such a great character. Perhaps one of most endearing in modern American lit.
Thankfully, I wasn't 100% heartbroken by the end of the book. I have to thank author Shelby Van Pelt for giving me ample warning. It would have been a terrible shock to get to page 350 and then BAM- tragic death of a beloved character!!! Still, knowing that the end was drawing near with the turn of every page, my reading pace was significantly slower than normal.
I've been in Tova's shoes, experiencing a lost that never achieved closure. Just maybe not on such an emotional level. A couple years ago, my goat, Pomegranate, was stolen. Despite spending a lot of time and money, she was never found. I've been wanting to write up a recount of how I dealt with that theft and how God blessed me eventually with a herd of now 10 goats, but I just couldn't find the voice. The unhealed wound just remains raw. But seeing how Van Pelt had Marcellus as the occasional narrator, I think I know how to write it now. I've got almost 2 months of summer break from my teaching job. So maybe I can get it started.
If anything, this book helped me find an outlet for my unanswered loss and I appreciate that very much.
As for seeing the movie on Netflix, this book definitely makes me more interested in subscribing. But I am still a ways away from that actually happening.
Worth Consuming!
Rating 9 out of 10 stars.
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