Remarkably Bright Creatures: A Read with Jenna Pick

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I had my doubts about this detecting duo of janitor and tentacled gumshoe: I thought it might be too cute. Truly original and touching, Remarkably Bright Creatures is a story of family, community, and optimism in spite of darkness. Set in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, with a lively cast of characters (human and cephalopod), engaging and well-paced narrative and a perfect combination of emotion, humor, wit and wisdom (suspend disbelief and you will enjoy the story! Once your soul was soaked though with grief, any more simply ran off, overflowed, the way maple syrup on Saturday-morning pancakes always cascaded onto the table whenever Erik was allowed to pour it himself. Ever since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat over thirty years ago keeping busy has helped her cope.

Cameron becomes convinced that if he can find him, Simon will have to pay for missed child support and solve all Cameron’s problems. Not that any other species are much better, mind you, but even a herring can tell which way the school it belongs to is turning and follow accordingly. Van Pelt does an amazing job on dealing with tough topics like death, loss, and grief as well as more positive issues of relationships, friendship, and interconnectedness.While she often talks to the aquarium’s diverse creatures while she’s polishing the glass of their displays, it isn’t long before she realizes that Marcellus, the aging, cantankerous giant Pacific octopus, is talking right back to her—well, in his own octopus way.

I found that it is indeed extremely intelligent and there are many articles about them solving puzzles, escaping from enclosures, etc. But the family tree stopped growing long ago, its canopy thinned and frayed, not a single sap springing from the old rotting trunk. Jean sometimes wears men's clothes and avails herself of male privileges, like taking Eliza on long walks down to the docks and into the surrounding woodlands.When I heard the premise of this book, I imagined an octopus POV would be used as the jumping point for reflections on captivity, "otherness", different forms of intelligence, or respect of nature. Although Tova and other characters are dealing with serious problems like loss, grief, and aging, Van Pelt maintains a light and often warmly humorous tone. It is an endearing novel about the tragedy of death, the anguish of grief, and the power of love to heal.