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Remarkably Bright Creatures

‘That Octopus Book’, the international bestseller, now a major Netflix film

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Remarkably Bright Creatures

By: Shelby Van Pelt
Narrated by: Marin Ireland, Michael Urie
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Summary
 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
__________________________
READER REVIEWS
'I couldn't put it down'
'Marvelous, heartwarming, brilliant'
'I enjoyed every second'
'I was gripped from the first page'
'I was completely charmed by this story'©2022 HarperCollins Publishers Animals Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Thriller & Suspense Feel-Good Heartfelt

Critic Reviews

A unique and luminous book
A beautiful examination of how loneliness can be transformed, cracked open, with the slightest touch from another living thing. Shelby Van Pelt makes good on this wild conceit, somehow making me love a misanthropic octopus, but her writing is so finely tuned that it's a natural element of a larger story about family, about loss and the electricity of something found (Kevin Wilson, author of NOTHING TO SEE HERE)
Remarkably Bright Creatures is the rarest of feats: a book that manages to be wry and wise, charming and surprising, and features one of the most intriguing and satisfying characters I’ve encountered in fiction in a very long time – Marcellus the Octopus. I don’t know how Shelby Van Pelt managed to make this uncommon tale sing so beautifully, but sing it does, and I defy you to put it down once you’ve started (Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, author of THE NEST)
I usually read non-fiction books, but Remarkably Bright Creatures gave me exactly what I want whenever I pick up a novel. It transported me to a different world, and it illuminated something new for me – in this case, about relationships and getting older. Reading Tova and Marcellus’s story was the perfect way to start my next decade of life. (Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft)
Truly original and touching, Remarkably Bright Creatures is a story of family, community, and optimism in spite of darkness. Prepare to fall in love (Helen Hoang, author of THE KISS QUOTIENT)
Shelby’s characters are unique and yet completely relatable ... It is a fresh and fascinating story full of heart and humour and I loved it. (Ruth Hogan, author of The Keeper of Lost Things)
A winningly totally original feel-good mystery packed with memorable characters that, once started, demands to be finished
An ultimately feel-good but deceptively sensitive debut about what it feels like to have love taken from you, only to find it again in the most unexpected places ... Memorable and tender.
A warm and satisfying book. It wrapped itself around me, luring me into the many mysteries hidden just beneath the surface. (Polly Crosby, author of The Illustrated Child)
Remarkable characters, who will stay with you for a long time. (Anstey Harris, author of The Trials and Triumphs of Grace Atherton)
You’ll bask in this book’s warmth and wit
The best books about grief find a way to illuminate the darkness of loss, and Remarkably Bright Creatures offers a masterclass
All stars
Most relevant
I admit I am a huge Marin Ireland fan, and she delivers again. But it is Michael Urie who really delivers as Marcellus the octopus. Van Pelt has delivered an original and heart warming story that is a reminder of the amazing bonds that exist between creatures and humans.

Marin Ireland is perfect

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This was recommended by a friend and I am passing on the favour to anyone who has been caught by this title. You’ll enjoy this narrative and the narrator also. Dive in xx

Beautiful story

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I read a review that said this was a hallmark soapy in the making -maybe but I don’t care! Loved it. The octopus is one of the most intriguing characters to have featured in a fiction novel. Could not get enough of him. Definitely a story that you want to keep listening to. She’s a few tears at some points over the octopus. So believable !
Only gripe- voice for Cameron sometimes annoyed me. Like a whiny teenage boy, not a 30 year old male!
But apart from that -very satisfying and thoroughly riveting plot with a satisfying finish. Though still some unanswered questions re Cameron’s mother and the real story behind the son’s death.

Octopus heaven!

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Lovely characters and easy, feel good story. I really enjoyed this book and was very well performed.

Easy listening

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I adored this book and how beautifully it was read. Such an engaging story, uniquely told, and I absolutely fell in love with Marcellus.

So much to love

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