Interconnecting Lives

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt is a powerful contemporary novel that I read in just two sittings. It was a read that totally consumed me.

This is a very unique novel as one of the leading characters is an octopus, whom we ‘hear speaking’ every once in a while, as a chapter is in his voice. Shelby Van Pelt has cleverly incorporated him into the novel as we believe in him, and also form an emotional attachment. The ending was incredibly powerful and moving.

The human characters are an eclectic mix, all searching for something or running from something. Life has dealt various blows over which they had no control. However, we can all choose our responses to events.

We witness how lives inter-connect with each other. There are some very kind-hearted souls.

Various characters deal with life in varying ways. A seventy-year-old is grieving the disappearance many years ago, of her eighteen-year-old son. To distract herself, she keeps busy and is forever cleaning. Her closest bond is with an octopus in captivity.

In contrast, we meet a thirty something man who is still grieving his abandonment by his substance-addicted mother, when he was eleven years old. He grieves never knowing his father, not even a name. He deals with all this by drifting.

As the lives of all the characters connect. Kindnesses are given. Gradually empty lives become fuller and develop a purpose.

I found Remarkably Bright Creatures a very unique read. It was a slow burn, but once I was immersed in the action, I was totally and emotionally invested. It was a superb read with a powerful ending.

JULIA WILSON