Our January Ink & Drink book club choice was Shelby Van Pelt's Remarkably Bright Creatures, "a reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.":
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.
Let us help you discover the novel with our Ink & Drink questions:
Motherhood is portrayed in many different ways in the book. Why do you think this is important?
Tova finds it very easy to make a connection with Marcellus, do you think this is because he is an octopus rather than a human? Tova has been through a lot of tragedy, do you think that Marcellus' lack of human communication helps her to find solace in his friendship?
There are many different kinds of friendships in the book. Cameron's friends from California, The Knit-Wits, etc. It made me think a lot about chosen family and having a support network that you've created yourself. What do you think about this?
I found the language and dialogue extremely grating at points. For example; "Cameron folds his arms, which are at least twice the diameter of Delmonico's. Bicep day's been lit at the gym lately." "She crosses her arms over her chest, which jams her small but perky boobs towards her tank top's neckline, and in an instant Cameron finds himself shifting in the chair. What is he, twelve years old? But, really, it has been three weeks since Katie." This kind of language took away from the feeling of the book for me. Did you feel the same or did you think the modern turns of phrase made the book seem more authentic?
There are many references to death in the book. Marcellus tells us how many days he has left in every chapter, he talks about 'the consequences' of leaving his tank. Tova's sons mystery death is also a huge theme of the book. What do you think is the importance of mortality in the book?
I previously mentioned the topic of chosen family. I am thinking about this again when you consider the amount of absent family members depicted in the book. Dads, Mums, sons, brothers and husbands. What comments on family do you think that the author might be trying to make?
Each of these characters - animal and human - need each other in a specific way, even if they don't realise this at first. What qualities bind these characters together? Are they connected by loss, grief or something else?
Tova empathizes with the sharks in the big aquarium tank, musing that she “understands what it means to never be able to stop moving, lest you find yourself unable to breathe.” Why do you think she feels so compelled to keep busy? What would happen if she simply stopped?
Marcellus’s life in captivity is much different than the life of an octopus in the wild — and eventually, Terry reveals that Marcellus was rescued from the sea after a life-threatening injury. Do you think this is why Marcellus has such a particular interest in the humans outside of his tank?
What qualities do Marcellus and Tova both share that make this remarkable friendship a success?
For our next Ink & Drink book club, held on Wednesday 28th February, we will be reading the 'marvellously sly' Pet by Catherine Chidgey.
About the book:
Like every other girl in her class, twelve-year-old Justine is drawn to her glamorous, charismatic new teacher and longs to be her pet. However, when a thief begins to target the school, Justine’s sense that something isn’t quite right grows ever stronger. With each twist of the plot, this gripping story of deception and the corrosive power of guilt takes a yet darker turn. Young as she is, Justine must decide where her loyalties lie.
Set in New Zealand in the 1980s and probing themes of racism, misogyny and the oppressive reaches of Catholicism, Pet will take a rightful place next to other classic portraits of childhood betrayal: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, The Go-Between, Heavenly Creatures and Au Revoir Les Enfants among them.