Book Review: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

 2 years! That's how long I have been waiting, rather impatiently, to read this novel. And today I can proudly say that it was worth the wait!


Even though it is quite evident from my past reviews, I admit that I mostly read fiction and is especially a sucker (like an octopus) for feel-good novels! For me, there is an impalpable joy that comes from within when I am floating (again, like an octopus) on the pages of a feel-good novel. And that is exactly the sensation I felt as I read this beautiful story.

The author was very successful in weaving fantasy into the mundaneness and melancholy of daily life in such a subtle and nuanced manner that the story felt real and believable. The camaraderie demonstrated between a human being and a Giant Pacific octopus felt rather natural. It did not feel forced or exaggerated at all. In this novel, humans and other animals equally craved affection and the need to be part of a family. All the main characters, including Marcellus, were haunted by a feeling of loneliness. But ironically and rather fortunately this loneliness was the ultimate factor that led these characters to find each other and become one big family. 
Despite his outnumbered days, Marcellus will live on forever in the heart of Tova and the readers alike. The sucker marks he left on Tova’s arm faded but a faint impression remained; similarly, this wonderful tale will continue to be cherished for a long time by the readers, even years after they have read the novel.

-Rithin
Hues and Dews Poetry

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