Tova Sullivan has been living alone since her husband died. She takes comfort in her routine, from meeting up with her group of friends, the Knit-Wits, to working night shift cleaning the Sowell Bay aquarium. Keeping busy has always helped her cope with her emotions, and after mysteriously losing her 18-year-old son, and then her husband, coping is all Tova is left with.

Cameron Cassmore has lost his way—or, I suppose, he would have if he had ever found it in the first place. Abandoned by his mother at a young age and never knowing his father, Cameron has never been a family man. That is, until his Aunt Jeanne gives him a box of his mother’s things and he finds a mysterious ring that leads him right to Sowell Bay and hopefully, an inheritance that will make his lonely childhood worth the pain.

Brought together by Sowell Bay Aquarium’s Giant Pacific Octopus, Remarkably Bright Creatures is the story of both Tova and Cameron and the important lessons they have yet to learn. Ever the detective, Marcellus the octopus is determined to unearth the truth to both characters before it’s too late.

Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.