Wednesday, October 9, 6 p.m.
Bartlett Performing Arts Center, 3600 Avenue of the Cities, Moline IL
With her bestseller Remarkably Bright Creatures lauded by Book Marks as “a truly tender masterpiece” that is “whimsical, immersive, and vibrantly written,” acclaimed author Shelby Van Pelt will take part in the Moline Public Library's in-person, October 9 author visit at Moline's Bartlett Performing Arts Center, van Pelt's debut novel noted for selling more than 1.4 million copies and reappearing on the New York Times bestseller list a year-and-a-half after its initial release.
In the spirit of A Man Called Ove, Remarkably Bright Creatures is Van Pelt's luminous debut novel about a widow’s unlikely friendship with a giant Pacific octopus reluctantly residing at the local aquarium – and the truths she finally uncovers about her son’s disappearance 30 years ago. In the book, after Tova Sullivan’s husband died, the woman began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been doing since her 18-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in the Puget Sound more than 30 years ago.
As she works, Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine, but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight tentacles for his human captors – until he forms an unlikely friendship with Tova. Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova’s son disappeared. As his affection for Tova grows, Marcellus must use every trick his old, invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it’s too late. Charming, compulsively readable, and full of wit, Van Pelt’s debut novel is a beautiful exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope, as well as a reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.
Beyond the book's acclaim from literary critics, fellow authors have heaped Remarkably Bright Creatures with praise. Good Company and The Nest author Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney writes, “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.” And Hotel on the Corner of Bitter & Sweet author Jamie Ford raved, “Shelby Van Pelt has done the impossible. She’s created a perfect story with imperfect characters that is so heartwarming, so mysterious, and so completely absorbing you won’t be able to put it down, because when you’re not reading this book, you’ll be hugging it.”
An Evening with Shelby Van Belt will take place at the Bartlett Performing Arts Center on October 9, participation in the 6 p.m. event is free, and more information is available by calling (309)524-2470 and visiting MolineLibrary.com.