Without being a spoiler, I’ll say that one of the book’s last lines sums up my reaction to this enjoyable story—Marcellus the octopus remarks that sometimes humans can be remarkably bright creatures. Marcellus isn’t so complimentary about humans throughout most of the story. He comments on people’s abysmal communication skills, lack of instinct, and difficulties connecting the dots in ordinary situations. I believe the title of this book mainly refers to the octopus as a remarkably bright creature.
The main human characters were endearing, and the book is an enjoyable and easy-to-read story with characters who experience everyday journeys. Tova is a 70-year-old widow whose son died thirty years ago. She loves her nighttime job cleaning at the aquarium, where she befriends and relates to Marcellus the octopus, whom she realizes is also aging. Tova is an old-timer in the fictional town of Sowell Bay, Washington, where the lone store owner, Ethan, is in love with her. However, Tova avoids Ethan and laments her aging body.
Cameron is a thirty-year-old whose mother abandoned him when he was young and never knew his father. He has had difficulty keeping jobs, and his friends in Modesto, California, are growing up, marrying, and having babies. Since Cameron has problems with long-term relationships and yearns to meet his biological father, he decides to venture to Sowell Bay after surmising his father might live there. Cameron’s attempts to meet his father provide a story arc in the book, but his search leads to the town where he interacts with Tova, Earl, and Marcellus, among many other characters. Although Cameron has many struggles and disappointments, the people in this welcoming town help him grow up. The author allows us to witness the charm of a small town where everybody knows everybody else’s business. The interactions among characters are predictable, but the alternating chapters about the octopus freshen up an old story to provide great entertainment.
