About the author
Shelby Van Pelt is an American novelist whose debut, Remarkably Bright Creatures, grew from a short story written from an octopus's point of view. The novel joins a gentle mystery to grief, late-life friendship, and attention to the clues people overlook.
Van Pelt lets the mystery develop through chores, misplaced objects, old photographs, and the limits of what each character is willing to ask. Marcellus can understand much of the human world, but he has only brief opportunities to interfere with it.
Where to start
Start with Remarkably Bright Creatures. A widowed aquarium cleaner forms an unlikely friendship with an octopus who has noticed a hidden connection.
