I really enjoyed Remarkably Bright Creatures. When I first started the book I wasn’t too sure about a talking, or at least a talking to himself, octopus. Could I take that leap? Yes I could! I was completely engaged and actually laughed out loud near the end when Marcellus referred to humans as remarkably bright creatures!
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Here’s another enjoyable octopus/human story.
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I wasn’t too sure I was going to buy into the intelligent octupus, but I found it was just the right level of magical realism. Or was it magical at all? I did really enjoy it and had the exact same quibbles as Mary. When I realized when her son was born I realized she was only a few years older than me. No way is anyone I know thinking about assisted living. She would be miserable!
I found Cameron incredibly exasperating, but I ended up enjoying his journey to (finally!) becoming an adult.
Amusingly I seem to been encountering a lot of octopuses lately. There’s a sci-fi book Children of Ruin - Wikipedia about a planet that has been terraformed with extra intelligent octupuses. They are a hoot. So alien from us. Thinking about that book, I would say Marcellus is a little too human and not foreign enough.
There’s also a pretty good Octopus in the TV show Resident Alien. voiced by Nathan Fillion. Nice touch to see him get the bit part while Alan Tudyk stars.
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I enjoyed this book when it first came out, and I reread it last week in prep to lead a book club discussion tomorrow. (Thanks for the questions, Mary 
). Was surprised to have forgotten about some of the plot and characters. It was Tova and Marcellus who had stayed on my mind.
Yes, soooo many coincidences in this story. But same is true of much of the TV we watch. I did like the way the story captured Tova’s journey from the old house/life to new way. And yes, she did seem older than 70.
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I read this book a while ago and really enjoyed it, especially the chapters with Marcellus’ point of view. I felt there was a parallel with the dog point of view chapters in Lessons in Chemistry (also very enjoyable).
Unfortunately I couldn’t get the book back off hold from the library so couldn’t brush up before this discussion.
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NYT recently had this timely about the resurgence of interest in “that octopus book”, might help a bit to refresh…. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/30/books/remarkably-bright-creatures-shelby-van-pelt.html?unlocked_article_code=1.■■0.VN1R.x8npxoF7q4N0&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&ugrp=m&sgrp=c-cb
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One of the hardest parts of the book for me was Tova selling the unique and beautiful home that her grandfather built. That move seemed way too premature. Cameron appeared ready to put down roots in that town and he could have been the next generation to live in the house. But I’m more sentimental than Tova (my giveaway pile would have been much smaller than hers 
). And the author makes it clear that Tova’s not in any ordinary condo:
Hurricane-grade glass from floor to vaulted ceiling run the entire length of the living room, interrupted only by French doors, which lead to a balcony set on sturdy pilings. When the tide is high, Tova likes to have coffee out there, listening to the water slap the deck boards underneath (p. 352).
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Agreed. Generally, I’m not a big fan of anthropmorphism in novels. (I was about to give Lessons in Chemistry and The Art of Racing in the Rain as examples…so maybe I’m just not a big fan of dogs? 
). But anyway, I do love it in children’s books (Bambi was a favorite in my childhood) – and Marcellus’ story had a bittersweet Charlotte’s Web feel to it: A life cycle that’s too short, but just long enough to save the person (or pig ) that needs saving.
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For me, the audio book was definitely the way to go for this one. Loved Marcellus, thought the coincidences were a bit much.
At the Mystic Aquarium a couple of years ago, they had a mysterious problem involving fish disappearing from one of the tanks. You’ll no doubt guess that it was the octopus - apparently the retired caretaker knew about his nighttime forays into the adjacent tank and secured the lid, but hadn’t mentioned it to the new person…
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And then there is this: Inky the octopus escapes from NZ aquarium | CNN
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Thanks for the refresher! I didn’t reread the book for our discussion here, but I will follow along. Forgot Cameron’s name but remembered he was an insufferable man-child … it’s Marcellus and Tova who have stayed with me.
On the word-of-mouth factor: I heard about it in a Zoom book group, listened to the audio version, and recommended it to a different group. A member of that second group came back a few weeks ago and asked, “Has anyone ever read … ?”
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I’m just going to echo everyone’s comments here. Cameron was an idiot and I kept wanting to smack him. Tova was clearly depressed as hell, which is why she seemed older than 70 years. I can understand her decision to go into the senior living facility; she had no one to take care of her as she aged. I did find it suprising that her retirement job was cleaning in an aquarium – too much physical work – but I guess because it was a small town and options were limited. Marcellus was adorable, of course.
I’m not sure there is any great “message” in the book, except for – having people around who love you and care for you is always better than not.
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@Colorado_mom, thanks for the NYT article. What a life change for Shelby Van Pelt! I can understand the word-of-mouth recommendations. It’s a book I would have recommended to my mother when she was in her 90’s: clean, no violence, kind characters, tragic events “off-screen”, happy ending, good font. It’s also a book I would recommend to my 20-something daughter: quick read, quirky, good for her hours on public transportation because it doesn’t require much focus – yet well-written, unlike a lot of other novels that don’t require much focus.
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“good font” – that made me smile. But I agree, it does make a difference!
Did anybody else think about the Swedish Death Cleaning book when reading about Tova’s house declutter / sale?
The Gentle Art of Swedish Death... book by Margareta Magnusson
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Random thoughts:
I worried that Remarkably Bright Creatures would be too much talking octopus. I like Marcellus’ role in the story: somewhat off-stage yet holding the role of catalytic character.
For me, Tova doesn’t seem older than her age. She holds a job that she doesn’t need but one that works for her, hours-and-inclination-wise. She likes to clean and keep things in order. She lives a quiet life but is well-liked in her small community. I thought of her move as more of one to a vibrant retirement village, not assisted living - though that is an option there. Do I think it the right move for Tova? Not really. She doesn’t seem a person that would enjoy all the amenities. On the other hand, her support group - friends - are slowing moving away and she has no family. Her fall worries her enough to consider other options and she has the money. My mother made a similar decision once upon a time. She wanted to move while she could make her own choices. She chose a place that was active but also had assisted living and nursing home and hospice. Over the years she went from one to the other and so on. Tova … maybe not yet, but I understand why her fall makes her start considering her ability to continue as she is.
Marcellus is a fussy old man in an octopus body.
I resented leaving Tova’s life and joining Cameron each time his section came up. While I’m glad to see it works out for Cameron in the end, I don’t quite buy him growing from man-child to functioning adult. (Note that I had little trouble falling in line with Marcellus and his antics.) I certainly hope Cameron apologized more than once to Ethan for the ugliness he aimed at a kind man who had helped him.
I have mixed feeling about Tova’s group of women friends - the Knit-Wits. They aren’t a great portrayal of a group of women who’ve aged together and remain close. I believe they mean well but still. Didn’t Tova’s husband call them something uncomplimentary? I think the author could have done a better job there (and with her other women characters, in general).
And I really liked Tova and found Ethan’s crush on her adorable.
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IIRC, her husband called them the Half-Wits.
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I wasn’t able to get the e-book/book in time but I did get the audiobook. At 1.25 x the speed it still feels tedious, and I can only manage a couple of hours every day. 9.5 hours left so I hope to join the discussion in a few days.
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Yes, Cameron’s turnaround was more unbelievable than a narrating octopus. I thought he had borderline Narcissistic Personality Disorder, in that he believed that all his misfortunes in life were somebody else’s fault. Although they are peripheral characters, Aunt Jeanne, Brad and Elizabeth were essential, as they gave us a glimpse into Cameron’s warmer side. They believed that he was a generous person with some depth, capable of change. So that allows the reader to think so too, however unlikely the prospect.
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Yes. I guess it was in her DNA. 
Döstädning. Something I aspire to, but am not very good at!
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