At a glance
LuvemBooks Verdict
Best for
Readers who prize emotional warmth over plot mechanics — particularly those drawn to multigenerational stories of grief and quiet reconnection, fans of Fredrik Backman's character-driven architecture, and anyone ready to embrace a sardonic octopus as a genuine narrative voice.
Worth it if
The emotional mechanics of A Man Called Ove resonate with you, because Van Pelt occupies the same territory: loneliness, unlikely connection, and an earned sentimental payoff anchored by a protagonist whose grief is rendered with evident care.
Skip if
You're arriving for a tightly plotted mystery with a genuinely withheld resolution — the central revelation is disclosed by Marcellus well before the final pages, and the novel's greatest strengths are atmospheric and emotional rather than structural.
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- Is it worth reading?
- For readers who prize feeling over puzzle-solving, Remarkably Bright Creatures delivers a genuinely original character in Marcellus — Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney called him 'one of the most intriguing and satisfying characters I've encountered in fiction in a very long time' — alongside Tova Sullivan's grief rendered with evident care. The central mystery resolves earlier than many readers might expect, so those seeking sustained suspense may feel the pacing is front-loaded; the novel's real rewards are atmospheric and emotional. Its New York Times bestseller status, a major literary prize, and a Netflix adaptation all signal unusually broad appeal for a debut.
- Similar books
- Readers drawn to Remarkably Bright Creatures tend to gravitate toward character-driven literary fiction with emotional depth and a quietly unconventional perspective. Elizabeth Strout's Olive Kitteridge shares the novel's interest in a prickly, fully-realised protagonist navigating loss in a small coastal community. Barbara Kingsolver's Demon Copperhead offers similarly grounded multigenerational storytelling with strong character architecture and earned emotional weight. Further afield, Rachel Joyce's The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and Elizabeth Gilbert's The Signature of All Things each blend warmth, interiority, and larger questions of meaning in ways that Van Pelt's novel echoes. Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is another touchstone for its use of an unconventional narrator who reframes the human world around them.
- Who should read this?
- Remarkably Bright Creatures is designed for readers who prize feeling over puzzle-solving — those drawn to multigenerational stories of loss and quiet reconnection who can embrace a non-human narrator without irony. The Backman comparison serves as a reliable shorthand: fans of A Man Called Ove and emotionally grounded character studies will feel at home. It also suits readers who enjoy a light mystery scaffold beneath their literary fiction, and anyone intrigued by the upcoming Netflix adaptation starring Sally Field.
- About Shelby Van Pelt
- Shelby Van Pelt is the author of Remarkably Bright Creatures, a women's fiction novel that follows a widow navigating life after loss while uncovering secrets about her late husband. The book blends humor, heart, and mystery as its protagonist discovers unexpected connections and long-buried truths.
- Tell me about the adaptation
- A Netflix adaptation of Remarkably Bright Creatures was reported in August 2024 by both Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. The film is directed by Olivia Newman — who previously directed Where the Crawdads Sing — and stars Sally Field. That level of Hollywood attention for a debut novel is notable, and the 2025 paperback reissue from Ecco is timed to bring new readers to the novel ahead of the adaptation's release.
- What are the main themes?
- At its core, Remarkably Bright Creatures is about loneliness and the unlikely forms that connection can take. Grief — specifically Tova's unresolved mourning for her son Erik and her late husband — runs through every strand of the novel, as does the idea that excavating the past can open up a future that once felt impossible. The novel also explores family secrets across generations, the nature of intelligence and perception (through Marcellus's distinctly non-human interiority), and what it means to be seen by something utterly unlike yourself.
- Is this a good book club pick?
- Remarkably Bright Creatures is well-suited to book clubs: its dual-narrator structure (Tova and Marcellus), the slow reveal of Cameron's connection to Tova's past, and the early resolution of the central mystery all generate productive discussion about how emotional payoff works when plot surprise is not the primary engine. The novel's themes of grief, loneliness, and unexpected connection are broadly accessible, and the Backman comparison suggests it will land for readers with varied literary tastes. Its status as a Read With Jenna selection further confirms its book-club pedigree.
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Age & Reading Level
Recommended age
Adult
Reading level
Adult
Content to know about
Skip if you want a tightly plotted mystery with a genuinely withheld, late-act revelation.
Editorial Review
Shelby Van Pelt's debut novel pairs a grieving widow with a philosophically-minded giant Pacific octopus to unravel a decades-old disappearance — a New York Times bestseller that won the 2023 McLaughlin-Esstman-Stearns First Novel Prize and is now in development as a Netflix adaptation starring Sally Field.
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