Hello and Welcome to the first taste test of Remarkable Bright Creatures. So, the way that I am taking notes is a little different for this book. I bought an audio recorder so I can take my notes a little easier because I found that putting the book down and writing my thoughts would take me out of the book or my thoughts just were not as thorough as I wanted because I was rushing to get back to the book. I have been feeling this way for quite some time, because I have tried to review books, and I always get lost in the note taking. As a result, I have four audio files for the four days that I have read this book, and I used an app to transcribe them to text so I can now go through and see my thoughts and try and write a blog out of it. I do have about 6 pages worth of notes that came from these audio files so I am guessing I have enough content to write a decent post.

Will it work? Who knows! Am I excited to get into it? Yes. So let’s dive in

Part 1: Page 1-87 (up until Nothing Stays Sunk Forever)

Opening

So, we are starting off this book with the point of view of the octopus. Who is currently about 3 and a half years into captivity, 1,299 days to be exact. I just find the little guy to be funny, because on the second page we get the quote:

“It leads many humans to assume I am a squid, which is an insult of the worst sort”.

I just couldn’t stop myself from laughing. It was a fun and cute little opening that gives me no clue at all what I am about to get myself in for. But that kind of opening is exciting.

Tova

I am going to split the rest of the blog into the characters that are present, and we follow, probably a little less on Ethan because he does not seem to have that big of a part yet. As a result, I am going to start with Tova and talk about what we have read so far before we transition into Cameron.

We are first introduced to Tova with this scene about bubblegum and how determine she is on getting removed so she can move on with her job as a custodian at the aquarium. I will say it took me a second to get used to this writing style, and it is not because it is poorly written but because I have been spending a lot of time in a LitRPG realm and the author I have spent 40 days reading writes very different that it took me a second to get into the groove. But after about 10 pages I was able to sink into the style and I can say that I have enjoyed every word.

With Tova, there comes as a fun character to study. As we watch her navigate her life, we see that though she is like her friends there is a large difference in them, such as how loud and proud her friends are about being parents and grandparents, whereas Tova keeps it all inside. Even when she is talking with Ethan, we see that she is quite reserved and moves through life in a way that does not take space to shine. This idea is supported with:

“Sometimes she still feels as if she’s a mistaken jigsaw piece who found her way into the wrong puzzle.”

So, off the start we are led to believe that Tova’s life and the now three losses, her son, husband, and brother has caused her to build a tall wall around herself that the other not only ignore but I don’t think see it. As the book continues, we bounce between perspectives, but Tova just is not that bright and optimistic, there is no brightness to her world, just facts and truths. It just builds off that first scene with the bubblegum, her life is just a series of tasks that she must tackle.

I want to dive into this for a little bit longer and the characterization of Tova. She lost her son 30 years ago and there is no official report on how he went, just the speculation that something happened on a boat (I am sure we will learn more about this later). I have heard that losing a child is one of the hardest things a person can experience, because when you give birth and raise them you never think of having to live your life without them. So that pain alone can cause someone to retreat inward and disconnect from the world. After that loss, she lost her connection with her brother, whom she was close with, which further her unmooring. We do not know the story of Tova and her husband, and the connection that they had before and after their son passed, but we do know that her husband is gone leaving her alone fully. I bring this up because there is grief all throughout Tova’s life, which helps us understand that she is alone. From here we can piece together the rest of her life, her friends are busy, she works nights alone, and she follows a very strict routine. All of this gives us the boundaries of her life, painting the scene in blacks, whites, and grays. I know this is long winded, but I wanted to bring all of this up because though he does not see a lot of Tova come through the pages, I feel as if we know her fairly well. So, it excites me to know that a connection will appear with the Octopus because it will hopefully bring some color into her life.

Okay, so I mentioned this in the First Sip but I do get Emily Gilmore vibes from Tova. Not the mean Emily that we see throughout the series but the Emily that is present in the Year in the Life special. They show her kindness popping up, giving her a little color when she interacts with the animals at the aquarium and giving the cat some food.

Cameron

The typical smart and down on his luck character, Cameron. If Tova is black and whites, Cameron is a messy mix of all the colors, slowly beginning to drain out of the painting. While reading Cameron the pages seem less formal, the narrative a little messier, which is a prop to the author for being able to change the vibe so quickly.

I am interest to see how his character develops over the course of the story! I don’t have much to say about him at this current point in time except for the fact that seem seems lost.

Ethan

This was the perspective that I did not expect the most. Ethan’s perspective, a man from Western Scotland. When we crossed paths with him at the store, I thought there was something there but not enough that he would get his own chapters. Clearly this man has a crush on Tova, and because of that he is going to be taking the role of protector, now this could turn into something sad and creepy, or it could be he is the one that helps her solve the future mystery or saves her from some dangerous moment. All in all, I think he is just cute. I don’t know. He got up early and made himself look all nice because she likes things nice and tidy and now he’s humming and singing and he’s happy. And I don’t know. It’s cute. Alright.

Marcellus

Marcellus is by far my favorite so far and it’s not because he has a secret at the bottom of the sea. When I finished day 1,308 of my captivity. why did him saying “she speaks to me, we converse,” put a grin on my face? It’s a freaking octopus and an old lady. Like what? But something about these pages is just so full of life and color and it’s just fun.

Clearly there is going to be going to come of this little guy, and I am eager to find out what. Hopefully this smart little cookie has a bigger section in the next taste test.

Theory

Is Eric Cameron’s father? See, I, there’s a story and a connection here with Cameron and Tova. And I don’t know what to expect. I’m thinking that she is his grandmother, clearly on the father’s side.

So, theory. My theory is that Lars knew about Eric getting some girl pregnant. Or maybe he didn’t get somebody pregnant but knew somebody was pregnant. But was going to, like, take care of somebody.

And Lars, I don’t know if he accidentally killed him, but something happened that Lars knew about, which is why Eric why he, like, went away and, like, stopped talking to his sister, Tova.

Overall, I feel like a little detective right now.