The Charming, Witty, and Compulsively Readable BBC Radio Two Book Club Pick
English language
Published July 10, 2022 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
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...
Profound and utterly captivating. Van Pelt's exquisite novel about a widow's unlikely bond with a remarkably intelligent octopus is a masterpiece. A poignant exploration of grief, healing, and life's wonders that will immerse you in its vivid storytelling. Uplifting and unforgettable - a must-read.
Up-lit with an octopus. I liked the chapters from Marcellus and the interactions between him and Tova, but the rest of the story just wasn't my thing. Very sentimental, but I can see why others like it so much.
Adorable book, but I only got into it after reading a third of it. Marcellus POV was the best! Ending was super wholesome too!
2.5 stars, probably, but rounded up for the octopus.
I have lots of complaints about this book but I loved the octopus. More octopus POV please!
The author is from Washington but doesn't know there are no bridges to the San Juan islands; put a small town on the coast halfway between Seattle and Anacortes (so... the Tulalip Reservation?); and decided that tiny town could support a multi-employee paddleboard shop year-round, despite 9 straight months of cold rain.
She also apparently wants us to believe that no pregnant teenager (there are many, for a small cast in a book that isn't about teenagers or teen pregnancy) would even consider abortion.
But I really loved the octopus.
I originally got this book because I like the cover :-) and that publisher summary was mildly interesting. I know, I know, "you can't tell a book by its cover"
But the actual book was more than that. And I like the way the different stories wove together and what could have been a depressing sad statement, and not being full and happy. And I love octopuses. Seriously, though, the individuals were treated dented they were actual people – or LIVING creatures of another genre altogether – and, despite outward appearances, they all had good points and features with which others could work.
I don't think that there was a single creature mentioned/addressed/discussed whom I disliked. Great book – it honestly lived up to its cover!
What a wonderful read about loss and discovery! Of course, you have to suspend belief a little to entertain an octopus and a human being able to communicate on some level. Marcellas is, however, an incredibly bright octopus who is very in tune with Tova and has thoughts like "But I do not like the hole in her heart. She only has one, not three, like me. Tova's heart. I will do everything I can to help her fill it." . . . and he does. Highly recommend! 5 Stars for me ;-)
There's a lot in this book that should've turned me off: a sentient octopus capable of communicating with a human, a pile of far-fetched coincidences used to hold the plot together, and an unresolved storyline. And yet, here I am giving it very solid 4 stars anyway. That's the mark of a good writer.
Here's why I recommend this book:
• I loved the voice of the octopus (Marcellus). He sounded like a snarky gay man who has much better taste than the rest of us. His chapters are written like prison diaries, because he doesn't want to be living in an aquarium. He's fabulous.
• While there's a mystery to the book, it's solved for the reader about halfway in so you get to something of a co-conspirator while you wait for the characters to catch-up.
• It has a very satisfying ending. The author does a good job …
There's a lot in this book that should've turned me off: a sentient octopus capable of communicating with a human, a pile of far-fetched coincidences used to hold the plot together, and an unresolved storyline. And yet, here I am giving it very solid 4 stars anyway. That's the mark of a good writer.
Here's why I recommend this book:
• I loved the voice of the octopus (Marcellus). He sounded like a snarky gay man who has much better taste than the rest of us. His chapters are written like prison diaries, because he doesn't want to be living in an aquarium. He's fabulous.
• While there's a mystery to the book, it's solved for the reader about halfway in so you get to something of a co-conspirator while you wait for the characters to catch-up.
• It has a very satisfying ending. The author does a good job seaming together all the threads, and when the title is pulled in, it's a little chef's kiss.
This book requires a bit of suspension of disbelief, but it rewards you with charm, along the lines of "The House in The Cerulean Sea."
I had such high hopes. Maybe if I was thirty or forty years younger I would’ve loved it, but as a way-over-thirty adult I found it insipid, principally because there was no life. No connection between the characters, no chemistry other than what was deemed necessary for the narrative. (Edit: okay, one, the friendship between Elizabeth and loser-boy felt real. But that was a minor part). All throughout the book, characters meet and develop bonds for no discernible reason whatsoever. Real people just don’t behave like that; it just made me think the author must be terribly young.
Marcellus the octopus was the most interesting character, of course. But... wtf was his angle? He was depicted as a storyteller, with himself as narrator, conversational in tone, but who is his audience? The author seemed to be trying to crack the fourth wall, but I didn’t find it effective. The frequent …
I had such high hopes. Maybe if I was thirty or forty years younger I would’ve loved it, but as a way-over-thirty adult I found it insipid, principally because there was no life. No connection between the characters, no chemistry other than what was deemed necessary for the narrative. (Edit: okay, one, the friendship between Elizabeth and loser-boy felt real. But that was a minor part). All throughout the book, characters meet and develop bonds for no discernible reason whatsoever. Real people just don’t behave like that; it just made me think the author must be terribly young.
Marcellus the octopus was the most interesting character, of course. But... wtf was his angle? He was depicted as a storyteller, with himself as narrator, conversational in tone, but who is his audience? The author seemed to be trying to crack the fourth wall, but I didn’t find it effective. The frequent “but what about this, you ask?” interjections didn’t help; I also felt disappointed that there were fewer and fewer Marcellus chapters as the book went on.
Lots of promise unfulfilled. There could’ve been a really great relationship between Tova and Marcellus, but it was totally flat. There could’ve been interesting dynamics between the humans, but nope, just people being shoehorned into liking or disliking each other. So sad. Feel free to skip this one.
