Quirky Cat
Book Summary:
Like most of his kind, Marcellus is stubborn, curious, and incredibly bright. He's a giant Pacific octopus nearing the end of his life. Living at the Sowell Bay Aquarium was a pretty good life, especially as he spent time with one of the night cleaners. Not to mention the opportunity for a few night explorations.
Meanwhile, Tova Sullivan has been happily working the night shift at the aquarium for years. She loves having something – anything – to do. Anything to keep that loneliness at bay. Is it any surprise she found such a strong bond with a remarkable and intelligent creature?
My Review:
Oh wow. Remarkably Bright Creatures is such a beautiful and compelling read. I'm not going to lie – I was almost too afraid to read this one. I knew how the story would end (I like octopi, so I sadly knew about the shorter life span), which made it hard to want to read, you know?
That said, it's worth the read! I'm glad that my book club made me get over my fear and dive in (pun not intended, but appreciated). I think I would have eventually regretted not reading this memorable story.
One might think that most of this novel is focused on Marcellus, but quite a few plots are floating around. They're all connected, though it takes quite some time for all the connections to become apparent. I appreciated that hidden depth (I keep doing this with the puns. Again, not intentional, but it works!).
Highlights:
Octopus Tale
Family
Magical Realism
Trigger Warnings:
Animal Death (implied – age-related)
Familial Death
Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks | Quirky Cat's Comics | The Book Review Crew | Monkeys Fighting Robots | Storygraph | Bookhype | Bookstagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Reedsy