I loved that scene, too and it gave me an “I’m-not-crying-you’re-crying” reaction.
But at the same time, I had a weird flash moment where it reminded me of Rose and Jack in Titanic: “Just as she’s about to be pulled down with him, he releases, and lands with a heavy splash in the night-black water” (p. 334).
(Forgive me – I did love the book, I just couldn’t resist. 
)
Marcellus’s voice in the audio, was so distinct- he would be an antiques dealer, British, maybe specializing in first edition books, he would be very snarky, well dressed snob in the upper east ( or is it now West) side of nyc -
He knows more than anyone else in the room. Unmarried, no kids, a dog owner, small dog like a westie or Schnauzer- with attitude.
I’m not sure he would have many friends- ONLY acquaintances with similar haughty tastes 
Tova and Marcellus are bonded by their captivity- Marcellus obvious
And Tova by the burden she carries about her son- as mentioned above her loneliness as others move into becoming grandparents ect and her world becomes more confined.
Agree with the above - Marcellus and Tova both seemed trapped - him by the aquarium, her by her unresolved grief…
You nailed it!
And he only drinks things we’ve never heard of.
This description made me think of an aging retired Sherlock Holmes, or perhaps Hercules Poirot. Reduced to using their near magical detecting talents on mundane domestic mysteries.
In this interview, the author talks about some of the peripheral characters: Cephalopod Channeling: An Interview With Shelby Van Pelt - Hypertext Magazine.
Aunt Jeanne is one of my favorite characters and I’m kind of bummed I couldn’t manage to get her more page time. She is also sort of a Tova opposite, at least in their respective relationships with parenthood. At one point, I had a scene where the two women meet, but it ended up getting cut. I would love to explore a potential relationship between them!
Per the final chapter, “After All”:
Now, Cameron works excruciating, long days for a contractor over at one of those custom homes in Adam Wright and Sandy Hewitt’s neighborhood. He’s talking about taking classes at the community college down in Elland come January, engineering prerequites. He insists on paying his own way, in spite of Tova’s objections. She’ll work on that (p. 351).
Based on that, here’s my future for Cameron and Tova:
Cameron takes an engineering night class, but it’s not his thing. He’s too restless to sit still, and since he thinks he’s always the smartest guy in the room, he can’t stand the professor. But he’s a hard worker and his contractor employer takes him under his wing, eventually leading Cameron to become a contractor himself – a job where he can be his own boss.
Cameron specializes in the area where he got his start – home-building – and discovers a great love for the job, as it challenges him both intellectually and creatively. He finds that the desire to build his own home is in his DNA, and pursues this project with enthusiasm. He and Tova spend endless hours discussing the perfect design and layout. Tova underwrites more of the building of this home than Cameron is comfortable with, but he ultimately relents, as she insists that if it is to be done, it must be done right.
The final product is perfection itself and Cameron hopes that Tova will move in to the new house with him, Avery and Marco (with whom he has long-since bonded as a fellow smart-ass). Tova affectionately declines. She loves her simple, clutter-free condo on the water and although she never remarries, she enjoys the daily company of Ethan. At 75, she becomes a great-grandmother (with Ethan in the role of honorary grandfather) to Cameron and Avery’s new baby, a beautiful little girl whom they name…Marcella.
The End
Kudos to your grande finale! Marcella omg it makes me teary- salty discharge 
Perfect! We have Remarkably Bright Creatures Fan Fiction! Now we need a Marcella novella.
Brilliant! @Mary13, you missed your calling!!
Love it!
I hope everyone had a great day – especially those in the Path of Totality. 
We can start selecting our June book at any time!
North Woods - Daniel Mason
My Family and Other Animals - Gerald Durrell (Memoir - published 1957 - Queen Camilla’s book club)
Tom Lake - Ann Patchett (May be hard to get)
The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi - S. A. Chakraborty
Genre:Sea stories; Historical fantasy; Adventure stories
Themes:Southwest Asian and North African (Middle Eastern)-influenced fantasy
Character:Southwest Asian and North African (Middle Eastern)
Storyline:Action-packed; Intricately plotted; World-building
Long Bright River - Liz Moore (TV series in production)
Ink Blood Sister Scribe - Emma Törzs
I thought I’d throw out a bunch of titles; I tried for different genres. (I’m thinking the swashbuckling pirate adventure might be a good summer choice - just putting it out there early.)
Great start:
North Woods - Daniel Mason
My Family and Other Animals - Gerald Durrell (1957 Memoir)
Tom Lake - Ann Patchett
The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi - S. A. Chakraborty
Long Bright River - Liz Moore
Ink Blood Sister Scribe - Emma Törzs
Trying to find something to suggest ……
Has anyone read this one ?
Vera Wong Unsolicited advice for murderers ?
USA Today bestseller
A lonely shopkeeper takes it upon herself to solve a murder in the most peculiar way in this captivating mystery by Jesse Q. Sutanto, bestselling author of Dial A for Aunties.
Vera Wong is a lonely little old lady—ah, lady of a certain age—who lives above her forgotten tea shop in the middle of San Francisco’s Chinatown. Despite living alone, Vera is not needy, oh no. She likes nothing more than sipping on a good cup of Wulong and doing some healthy detective work on the Internet about what her Gen-Z son is up to.
Then one morning, Vera trudges downstairs to find a curious thing—a dead man in the middle of her tea shop. In his outstretched hand, a flash drive. Vera doesn’t know what comes over her, but after calling the cops like any good citizen would, she sort of . . . swipes the flash drive from the body and tucks it safely into the pocket of her apron. Why? Because Vera is sure she would do a better job than the police possibly could, because nobody sniffs out a wrongdoing quite like a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands. Vera knows the killer will be back for the flash drive; all she has to do is watch the increasing number of customers at her shop and figure out which one among them is the killer.
What Vera does not expect is to form friendships with her customers and start to care for each and every one of them. As a protective mother hen, will she end up having to give one of her newfound chicks to the police?
North Woods - Daniel Mason
My Family and Other Animals - Gerald Durrell (1957 Memoir)
Tom Lake - Ann Patchett
The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi - S. A. Chakraborty
Long Bright River - Liz Moore
Ink Blood Sister Scribe - Emma Törzs
Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers - Jesse Q. Sutanto
I haven’t read Vera Wong, but I read Dial A for Aunties in 2022. Here’s what I had to say about it back then:
Sounds like she has a winning formula going – could be fun. But we just had fun/lightweight, so I wonder if we want to go a different direction this time.
I just read through the descriptions of all the books. I’d be willing to read any of them. Have we read a fantasy? Ink Blood Sister Scribe looks interesting if we want to go that route.
Looks intriguing. I’m wondering if it would make more sense to read City of Brass by the same author? I like the idea of a book inspired by the Middle East albeit a fantasy version.
