Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
Tova Sullivan lived in the house her Swedish father had built. By the time he finished the playroom in the attic, Tova and her brother Lars were too old. Tova’s grandchildren should have played there, but her son Erik mysteriously disappeared when he was 18. No grandchildren. She is the night cleaner at the aquarium to keep busy. At 70, she will sell the house and move into Charter Village Long-Term Care Center, where her brother lived until his death.
Cameron Cassmore was raised in California by his Aunt Jeanne. He’s been fired from every job he’d had. He’d never met his father, but a box of his mother’s things matched her with Simon Brinks, the rich developer. His father! He leaves California for Washington state to track down his deadbeat dad without any funds or a plan. To support himself, he takes a temp job as a night cleaner at the Sowell Bay Aquarium.
The hero is Marcellus, a very intelligent giant Pacific octopus. Marcellus is bored in his tank, but he watches the people and escapes at night. Marcellus figures out how the story ends long before any of the people. With his help, the people catch up. His closing words are, “Humans. For the most part, you are dull and blundering. But occasionally, you can be remarkably bright creatures.”
Other characters:
Ethan
Mack owns the Shop-Way and knows everybody's business.
Avery,
32, owns the Sowell Bay Paddle Shop.
“There
were once seven Knit-Wits. Now there are four. Every few years brings another
empty place at the table.” Tova, Mary Ann Minetti, Janice Kim, Barb Vanderhoof.
Through serendipity and Marcellus, everything works out in the end. Good things happen to good people. A wonderful read.
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