Remarkably Bright Creatures cover art

Remarkably Bright Creatures

Preview
Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Remarkably Bright Creatures

By: Shelby Van Pelt
Narrated by: Marin Ireland, Michael Urie
Try Premium Plus free

Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.99

Buy Now for $26.99

About this listen

Bloomsbury presents Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, read by Marin Ireland and Michael Urie.

Have you met Marcellus the octopus yet?

**THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER**
OVER HALF A MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE
BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB PICK
OVER 29,000 5 STAR REVIEWS
GOOD HOUSEKEEPING BEST BOOKS OF 2022
GLAMOUR BEST BOOKS OF 2022

'Full of heart and humour . . . I loved it.' Ruth Hogan
'Will stay with you for a long time.' Anstey Harris
'I defy you to put it down once you’ve started' Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney

After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night cleaner shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium. Ever since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat over thirty years ago keeping busy has helped her cope. One night she meets Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium who sees everything, but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors – until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.

Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova’s son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it’s too late...

Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel is a reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.


'You won’t be able to put it down because when you’re not reading this book you’ll be hugging it.' Jamie Ford
'Truly original and touching' Helen Hoang
'Unique and luminous' Booklist starred review

©2022 Shelby Van Pelt (P)2022 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Animals Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Feel-Good Heartfelt
All stars
Most relevant
I kind of wish I had savored this instead of blasting through it, but I really wanted to know the ending! The sign of a good story I guess. The guy who voiced Marcellus was amazing!

Great!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Lovely story, easy to listen too and I enjoyed the two voice actors. Listened whilst on holidays, giggled a few times and got teary. Loved it.

Easy and enjoyable listen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

A delightful story of love, hope, loss & discovery told from three perspectives-an aging 70 year old heading to retirement & assisted living; a nearly 30 year old still looking for life’s purpose & reasons why his parents abandoned him & a quirky, intelligent great pacific octopus caught in his aquarium prison. Narrators are great too, if you opt for the audio version.

Delightful

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I had no idea what to expect from this novel, but I felt so much joy when listening to it. I was confused at first as to what point Cameron played in the story as he was quite disconnected from the other main characters. I'd love for there to be a sequel.

Such a beautiful story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I like that they had a perspective from a sea creature, which is unusual. The narrators for the characters were great ! Enjoyed it !

Love for sea creatures

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

A wonderfully heartfelt story and told so well by the narrators, I highly recommend anyone who is interested in a sassy octopus and a loving elderly lady to have a listen ❤️

Immersive

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

It’s light but really engaging. The lead characters are relatable and well written and the star is an amazing pacific octopus- bored to distraction and taking things into his own hands( or tentacles to be more precise). It’s a great read and will make you smile.

What a charming book!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

This book was a sweet story and easy to listen to. Not my usual genre but I did enjoy it

A sweet book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Loved the performance, the story the creativity and the characters! Very intriguing right until the end.

Fantastic listen!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I loved this story so much. Heart felt, funny and poignant. Loved the characterisation. Plus I leant a lot about the life of an octopus. I couldn’t stop listening and it will be one I listen to time again.

An absolute fav

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.