Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

On the surface, this is the story of a young man that would not be anyone’s hero, who goes on a journey to fix his life by demanding a better future from those that owed it to him, rather than building one for himself. 

This story was so beautifully written that I felt invested in the outcome from the beginning. Each character, whether prominent to the story or not, seems to have a tragic background of one sort or another. Some of the characters have triumphed and survived, while others have stagnated, languishing in the past. As the tale goes on, each of these backstory threads come together in the most incredible way - brought together by an octopus of all things.

Of all the characters in Remarkably Bright Creatures, I felt the most intrigued by Tova. 

"Tova wonders sometimes if it's better that way, to have one's tragedies clustered together, to make good use of the existing rawness. Get it over with in one shot."

I wanted her to do well, to feel a sense of closure, if not actual happiness. 

One criticism I have seen for this book is of the character Cameron, that he is unbelievable in his immaturity. However, as he is a character living in the shadow of a parent’s absence, let alone of a parent’s addiction, I found his flaws entirely authentic and plausible. 

Reading this, I could not wait to see how it all came together. Lost souls, brought together by the town’s resident octopus. I highly recommend this book.