Remarkably Bright Creatures

Get in the xigxag app
Already purchased

Click to open directly in the xigxag app.

This book is not purchasable in your country. Please select another book. Pre-order Buy Now £{{ price }} Send as a gift
How does xigxag pricing work?

Listen to a sample

What to expect

Bloomsbury presents Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, read by Marin Ireland and Michael Urie.

Have you met Marcellus the octopus yet?

**THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER**
OVER HALF A MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE
BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB PICK
OVER 29,000 5 STAR REVIEWS
GOOD HOUSEKEEPING BEST BOOKS OF 2022
GLAMOUR BEST BOOKS OF 2022

'Full of heart and humour . . . I loved it.' Ruth Hogan
'Will stay with you for a long time.' Anstey Harris
'I defy you to put it down once you’ve started' Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney

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...

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


'You won’t be able to put it down because when you’re not reading this book you’ll be hugging it.' Jamie Ford
'Truly original and touching' Helen Hoang
'Unique and luminous' Booklist starred review
__________________________
READER REVIEWS
'I couldn't put it down'
'Marvelous, heartwarming, brilliant'
'I enjoyed every second'
'I was gripped from the first page'
'I was completely charmed by this story'

Critics Review

A unique and luminous book
Booklist
A beautiful examination of how loneliness can be transformed, cracked open, with the slightest touch from another living thing. Shelby Van Pelt makes good on this wild conceit, somehow making me love a misanthropic octopus, but her writing is so finely tuned that it's a natural element of a larger story about family, about loss and the electricity of something found
Kevin Wilson, author of NOTHING TO SEE HERE
Remarkably Bright Creatures is the rarest of feats: a book that manages to be wry and wise, charming and surprising, and features one of the most intriguing and satisfying characters I’ve encountered in fiction in a very long time – Marcellus the Octopus. I don’t know how Shelby Van Pelt managed to make this uncommon tale sing so beautifully, but sing it does, and I defy you to put it down once you’ve started
Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, author of THE NEST
Truly original and touching, Remarkably Bright Creatures is a story of family, community, and optimism in spite of darkness. Prepare to fall in love
Helen Hoang, author of THE KISS QUOTIENT
Shelby’s characters are unique and yet completely relatable ... It is a fresh and fascinating story full of heart and humour and I loved it.
Ruth Hogan, author of The Keeper of Lost Things
A winningly totally original feel-good mystery packed with memorable characters that, once started, demands to be finished
Irish Independent
An ultimately feel-good but deceptively sensitive debut about what it feels like to have love taken from you, only to find it again in the most unexpected places ... Memorable and tender.
Washington Post
A warm and satisfying book. It wrapped itself around me, luring me into the many mysteries hidden just beneath the surface.
Polly Crosby, author of The Illustrated Child
Remarkable characters, who will stay with you for a long time.
Anstey Harris, author of The Trials and Triumphs of Grace Atherton
You’ll bask in this book’s warmth and wit
Spectrum
The best books about grief find a way to illuminate the darkness of loss, and Remarkably Bright Creatures offers a masterclass
Marie Claire
Infused with heartfelt humor, Van Pelt’s elegant portrait of a widowed woman who finds understanding and connection with a clever octopus is refreshingly, if surprisingly, relatable. Despite the unorthodox relationship at its core, the debut novel offers a wholly original meditation on grief and the bonds that keep us afloat
Elle

User Reviews

Book 5.0
Narration 4.8
5.0
5.0
susan j 21/10/2025
5.0
5.0
This was so beautiful it made me sob like a baby at the end. Tova and cam are such wonderful characters and the way everything unfolds in this book is sublime.
Helenw102 01/02/2025
5.0
4.0
Great story, narration let down slightly by an unconvincing Scottish accent, but mostly excellent
ruthyalice 31/01/2025
5.0
5.0
What a lovely story. Not my normal genre but so good! X
melmantel 17/06/2024
5.0
5.0
silvie 20/03/2024
5.0
5.0
hannahpeters 01/02/2024

About xigxag

Experience the best audiobooks with xigxag, an innovative and user-friendly audiobook platform designed for seamless discovery, purchase, and enjoyment of your favorite titles. Our flexible pricing model offers bestselling audiobooks for less, providing affordable prices and the best audiobook deals without requiring a subscription. Perfect for gifting, xigxag also features convenient audiobook gift cards and in-app audiobook gifting options.

 

Beyond the listening experience, xigxag stands as an exciting alternative to big tech, embodying a strong commitment to sustainability and ethical practices. As the only B Corp certified UK audiobook service, we ensure a guilt-free listening experience from a leader in audiobook innovation.

 

Effortlessly search audiobooks, access honest audiobook reviews that evaluate both the content and narration, and easily discover hidden gems. Whether you prefer to download or stream top audiobook titles, xigxag provides the best possible listening experience anytime, anywhere, on the UK’s best independent audiobook app. Discover the future of audiobooks today.