13 Remarkably Bright Creatures Book Club Questions
Looking for Remarkably Bright Creatures book club questions for your next reading group meeting? Here are 13 thought-provoking discussion questions to get you guys going!
Remarkably Bright Creatures is a beautiful novel by Shelby Van Pelt. This debut novel won the McLaughlin-Esstman-Stearns First Novel Prize and seems to have resonated deeply with readers of all ages.
The book follows Tova, a 70-year-old widow and a cleaner at her local aquarium. The aquarium happens to house Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus, and the two develop a special connection.
Marcellus, with his superintelligence and excellent observation skills, spots something important that he needs to communicate to Tova; it’s up to him to work out how to get the message across.
It’s a beautiful novel about grief, family, and belonging, and it’s an excellent pick for a book club!
This discussion guide forms part of my wider Book Club Questions series, created to support thoughtful group conversations around books.
If you want to get the discussion started, here are some book club questions for Remarkably Bright Creatures.
13 Book Club Questions for Remarkably Bright Creatures
At the start of the book, we meet Marcellus, an old and incredibly clever octopus. In Marcus’s chapters, we get to see from his perspective and the small details he observes every day from his tank.
What did you think of Marcellus’s chapters? Did you enjoy his perspective?
Tova works hard every night at the aquarium, and things have to be done in a particular way. She has a special connection with Marcellus, who seems to anticipate her coming to see him every night.
Why do you think Marcellus enjoyed Tova’s company? Do you think he would have bonded with anyone else in the same way?
Tova has a social group of women, the Knit-Wits. They meet regularly, initially to knit, but now to share food and catch up with each other. But Tova finds it hard to connect sometimes, and she finds it very difficult to accept help from them.
‘The Knit-Wits have been her friends for years, and sometimes she still feels as if she’s a mistaken jigsaw piece who found her way into the wrong puzzle.’
Why do you think Tova feels on the edge of her social group? Do you think she grows closer to her friends by the end of the book?
People treat Tova differently when they find out her son, Erik, passed away in an accident. She often has to deal with awkward social situations as a result, as people don’t know how to speak about their own children around her.
Did this part of the story ring true for you? Could you relate to Tova’s feelings of grief and how it impacted her socially?
Tova’s friend, Ethan, is loyal and dedicated to her. He looks out for her, even to the extent that he takes on tasks that Tova didn’t ask him to do, which sometimes treads on Tova’s toes a bit!
Tova finds it hard to let people in, but she does care deeply about Ethan, which we can tell when she goes out of her way to replace a t-shirt she accidentally ruined.
What did you think about Tova and Ethan’s relationship? Do you think they are well-suited to each other?
We are introduced to Cameron early in the novel, although initially, it’s hard to see how he is connected to Tova, Ethan, and Marcellus.
Did you guess from the beginning how Cameron would become involved in the story? Did you guess the twist that comes at the end of the book?
Cameron is self-destructive. He can’t seem to hold down a job, a relationship, or even a place to live: at the start of the novel we see him being kicked out of his girlfriend’s house, broke, and jobless.
Did you enjoy Cameron’s chapters? Do you think he grew as a character by the end of the story, and if so, did that growth feel realistic to you?
Marcellus is acutely aware that he is nearing the end of his life, and he wants to make the most of his remaining days.
He has also determined how long he can last without being in the water: ‘Once I am out of my tank, I must resubmerge within eighteen minutes or I will experience The Consequences.’
How did you feel about Marcellus’s ending? Did you feel satisfied with where he ended up?
Marcellus has a lot to say about human behaviour, including the way that we communicate with each other:
‘Why can humans not use their millions of words to simply tell one another what they desire?’
What do you think of this statement? How well do the humans communicate in this book?
The plotline that ties everything together is the fate of Tova’s missing son, Erik, who disappeared after a boating accident. Tova finds some answers in the book, but some questions still remain, and she may never know the full details.
What did you think about the mystery of Erik’s disappearance? Did you feel that Tova got some closure?
Tova’s house is significant. Having been in the family for so many years, Tova’s friends are shocked when she decides to sell it. The house, of course, holds one last secret, which Tova and Cameron discover together in a poignant moment at the end of the novel.
Did you feel surprised that Tova went through with the sale? Would you have preferred that she kept the house, or did this feel like the right ending to you?
Tova and Cameron are both, in their own way, dealing with deep emotional wounds: Tova with her deep grief, and Cameron with his feeling of displacement and rejection.
How do both Tova and Cameron deal with their feelings? Do you think their coping mechanisms are healthy?
At the end of the novel, Tova is hosting her loved ones. She still feels grief, but alongside it, she feels joy at the company she now has.
What do you think the book has to say about moving on after grief? Did it feel hopeful to you?
I hope these Remarkably Bright Creatures book club questions will kick-start a good discussion! This is a gorgeous book, and it’s a fun one to dive into for a book club.
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