Remarkably Bright Creatures

March 7, 2022
A cross-species friendship helps solve a pair of decades-old mysteries in Pelt’s whimsical if far-fetched debut. After Tova Sullivan’s husband dies, she takes a night job as janitor at an aquarium, where she enjoys talking to the sea creatures. She’s particularly fond of Marcellus, a giant octopus who shies away from most human attention. But when Tova finds Marcellus out of his tank and helps him back to safety, he becomes fond of her. Meanwhile, Cameron Cassmore comes to town looking for his long-lost father and joins Tova on the night shift, disrupting her routine. However, the two soon realize that Cameron’s mother, who disappeared after leaving him with an aunt when he was nine, and Tova’s son, who died after falling off a boat decades earlier, might have known each other. Marcellus, who lived in the sea before his capture, is the only creature who knows for sure. Pelt imbues Tova, Cameron, and Marcellus with pathos, but her abrupt cycling between their perspectives can be disorienting, and her no-frills prose is ill-suited for the anthropomorphic conceit at the story’s core. While the premise intrigues, this fantastical take on human-animal connection requires a bit too much suspended disbelief. Agent: Kristin Nelson, Nelson Literary Agency.

June 1, 2022

Anyone who remembers the "Sad Cat Diaries" videos from Ze Frank will instantly love Michael Urie's performance of Marcellus the octopus in Van Pelt's debut novel. The octopus's recounted "days of captivity" and his observations of the human characters are pompous yet lovable, and he is as sardonic as he is intelligent. The novel's other point-of-view characters are Tova and Cameron, two searching souls voiced by Marin Ireland, who does an excellent job with each. The link between these two characters is easier for listeners to decode than it is for most of the characters in the novel, but this is not a book that focuses on surprises or even the pair of family mysteries at the center of the story. Rather, this is a kind narrative about misunderstood people learning that they fit into the world just as they are--once they discover where they need to be. Things never get too saccharine because there is enough humor--much of it coming from Marcellus--to balance the emotional story. VERDICT Listeners will be tempted to seek out the nearest octopus and have what only appears to be a one-sided conversation.--Matthew Galloway

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