Remarkably Bright Creatures – Shelby Van Pelt
Categories: Blogging | Monthly Picks
You may have noticed that this has just come out as a film on Netflix – I have to say I have just watched the film, and although it is nice, it leaves so much out that is in the book, I have to say the book is 100 times better! So read the book!
A grieving widow cleaning tanks at a small-town aquarium. A giant Pacific octopus with an extraordinary mind and opinions on almost everything. A young man adrift, searching for the father he never knew. Remarkably Bright Creatures is one of those rare novels that sneaks up on you — warm and funny on the surface, quietly devastating underneath — and leaves you thinking about connection, loss, and what it means to truly know someone.
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What’s inside the meeting pack (7 pages): cover sheet, welcome + content note, quick guide/characters/themes, meeting plan, spoiler-free questions, spoiler zone, mini activity (“The Observation Log”), ratings + next-month vote.
Quick character cheat sheet
- Tova Sullivan — methodical, self-contained, and quietly heartbroken; she’s been holding herself together for decades and we slowly understand why.
- Marcellus — the giant Pacific octopus; eight arms, 2,500 suckers, and a perspective on humans that is equal parts baffling and illuminating. One of the most memorable narrators in recent fiction.
- Cameron Ito — late twenties, directionless, and carrying more than he realises; searching for his missing father and slowly learning to stay in one place.
- Erik Sullivan — Tova’s son, missing since 1989; his absence shapes every page.
- Ethan Sullivan — Tova’s late husband; felt strongly even in his absence.
- Terry — Cameron’s aunt; warm, no-nonsense, and a much-needed anchor.
- Jessica Snell — a woman from Tova’s past whose role slowly becomes clear.
Themes to watch
Grief and the long shadow of loss · found family and unlikely connection · the intelligence of non-human creatures · small-town community and belonging · secrets held across decades · what it means to truly pay attention
This book includes themes some readers may find difficult, including the loss of a child, grief, and parental absence. Please take care, and skip any questions your group doesn’t want to cover.
Discussion questions
Spoiler-free
- How would you describe the book’s tone — cosy, melancholy, hopeful, funny? Did it shift as the story moved forward?
- Marcellus narrates several chapters from the octopus’s perspective. How did you respond to that choice? Did it work for you — and did your feelings change as the book went on?
- The novel suggests that paying close attention is a form of love. Where did you see that playing out — and who in the story does it best?
- Tova is described as someone who keeps herself useful so she doesn’t have to stop and feel things. Do you recognise that impulse? How does the novel treat it?
- The aquarium is a quietly important setting — a place where people and creatures are observed, contained, and sometimes released. What do you think it represents?
- Cameron is frustrating at times. Were you patient with him, or did you find him difficult to root for? How did your feelings about him shift?
- The book is full of characters who are lonely in very different ways. Which one felt most vivid or recognisable to you?
- Secrets run through the whole novel — things withheld, things not asked. What does the book seem to say about why people hold things back?
- The title Remarkably Bright Creatures applies to the octopus, but also — arguably — to several humans in the story. Who else would you apply it to?
- Who would you recommend this book to? Who might not click with it — and why?
Spoiler zone
STOP HERE if anyone hasn’t finished the book.
- Did you work out the connection between Cameron and Tova before it was revealed — or did it catch you off guard? How did the reveal land?
- How did you feel about Marcellus’s fate? Did the book handle it in a way that felt true, or did it feel like a narrative device?
- What did you make of Erik’s story? Did the full picture change how you felt about Tova, or about the novel as a whole?
- The ending is hopeful without being neat. Did it feel earned — or did anything feel unresolved?
- Which relationship in the book moved you most by the end — and what changed it?
- What do you think the book ultimately argues about grief — that it ends, that it transforms, or something else entirely?
Meeting plan (60–90 minutes)
- 0–10: Warm-up (describe the book in 3 words / which character would you most want to observe you?)
- 10–50: Spoiler-free discussion
- 50–70: Spoiler zone (optional)
- 70–80: Mini activity — The Observation Log (pick a character and write 3 observations Marcellus might make about them)
- 80–90: Ratings + vote for next month
A couple of hosting notes for this one: the warm-up question about which character you’d want Marcellus to observe tends to get people talking immediately — it’s funny, but it quickly reveals something real about how people see themselves. The Observation Log activity works especially well if your group likes a creative element, and it usually sparks a second round of discussion about the characters without anyone realising. If you have members who aren’t keen on the animal narrator premise, it’s worth flagging before the meeting that most readers find themselves fully won over by the end — even the sceptics.
Post tags: #book club #bookclub #bookish #remarkably bright creatures #shelby van pelt #monthly pick #free printable
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