Sometimes, a brilliant idea can begin in an unlikely place.
For Shelby Van Pelt, her brilliant idea began by going down “a YouTube rabbit hole,” she said.
“Like, a naughty octopus rabbit hole,” Van Pelt added, laughing. “There’s so many great videos out there.”
Van Pelt took that inspiration and created Marcellus, the curmudgeonly octopus at the heart of her best-selling novel, “Remarkably Bright Creatures,” which was chosen by the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County to be this year’s Read Together Palm Beach County book.
The 14th annual “one-book, one-community” campaign that brings together readers from across the county to all enjoy the same novel culminates with a finale event at 6 p.m. Nov. 18, where Van Pelt will be interviewed by Ann Bocock, the host of the “Between the Covers” TV series from South Florida PBS. The event will be at the Duncan Theatre at Palm Beach State College in Lake Worth Beach.
Since its release in 2022, “Remarkably Bright Creatures” has been — no pun intended, for those who have read the novel — a runaway best-seller, with more than 2 million copies sold and a deluxe paperback edition set to be released in 2025. It received the 2023 McLaughlin-Esstman-Stearns First Novel Prize and was a “Read with Jenna” pick for the Today Show’s book club.
All of that for a debut novel that Van Pelt said she thought may never be read by another person.
“There’s a freedom in that, when you’re just writing for your own enjoyment, for yourself, versus thinking more about, ‘Who is the reader of this book? What is Goodreads gonna say? Am I on brand?'” she said in a recent interview with the Daily News, as she discussed her work on her next novel. “I literally did not have a brand when I was writing the first book.”
“Remarkably Bright Creatures” tells the story of Tova, a 70-year-old widow who cleans the aquarium where Marcellus, a saucy giant Pacific octopus, lives. “Remarkably Bright Creatures” earned the nickname of “that octopus book,” so much so that the U.K. edition of the novel features that tagline across the top of its cover.
More:Read Together Palm Beach County book announced – and it’s ‘that octopus book’
The pair form a strong friendship, with Tova confiding in Marcellus, and Marcellus in turn unraveling the truth about what happened to Tova’s son, who disappeared at sea when he was 18 years old.
The characters have also bonded with readers, with reviews overwhelmingly citing those readers’ ability to relate to Tova and, yes, Marcellus, as a plus.
“I think in the case of Marcellus, a lot of people are surprised to find themselves liking him as much as they do,” she said.
When she talks with groups of readers, they tend to be split down the middle between those who were excited to read a book with an octopus narrator, and those who were more unsure, Van Pelt said.
“But then they open it and get to know the character and are like, ‘Oh, I think I’m actually a little bit in love with this octopus,'” she said.
The book’s themes of friendship, grief, aging and vulnerability also allow readers to connect deeply, she said.
“Grief is something that we really all experience in a number of ways on a daily basis,” Van Pelt said. “It’s doesn’t just have to be about losing someone or death. It’s something that is about as universal as a feeling or emotion can be.”
In “Remarkably Bright Creatures,” both Tova and Marcellus face a big transition in their lives, “and they’re both very much stuck,” she said.
That idea of being stuck stood out to Van Pelt as she developed the characters. “They have this in common. They’re both really either physically stuck in a tank, or more metaphorically stuck in a rut, or a place in life that is no longer going to serve them going forward,” Van Pelt said.
Tova is loosely based on Van Pelt’s Swedish grandmother, whose name was Anna. For Marcellus’ personality, Van Pelt said that she looked for inspiration a little closer to home.
While she presented him as a sort of cranky old man, the kind found in so many families, Van Pelt said she also looked within herself.
“I feel like I might have been that grumpy old man in a prior life, because the voice came really naturally to me,” she said.
Van Pelt has a sarcastic streak to which she attributed being born in 1980, which positioned her right at the boundary of being Generation X and Millennial.
“I’m a pretty upbeat person generally, but I definitely do have a streak in me of sarcasm or dryness that I think comes out a little bit in Marcellus,” Van Pelt said.
She’s working on her second novel, which she said incorporates elements of a road trip. Where she spent a lot of time doing scientific research to nail down the details necessary to bring Marcellus to life, her research for her next novel has been more based in logistical details.
“I find myself doing a lot more of that type of research,” she said, adding that she’s asking herself questions like, “What is the driving time here? What are the roads?”
“You just want to get those little details,” Van Pelt said. “I think it bugs people if you get them wrong. So I find myself drilling down on Google Maps a lot more than I ever did with the first book.”
“I could be the best Amazon driver ever if I were to go to some of these areas,” she joked.
Van Pelt said she just finished reading “Colored Television” by Danzy Senna, a novel she said she enjoyed because part of the plot involved a woman who is a writer working on her second novel. “So I very much identified with that part of the plot line,” Van Pelt said.
She also reads a lot of books in advance to provide feedback and “blurbs,” recommendations from authors that are placed on a new book’s cover, Van Pelt said. She’s most excited for the release of “Tartufo” by Kira Jane Buxton, which comes out Jan. 28. The book very much has Buxton’s humor and wit, Van Pelt said.
She looks forward to the Read Together finale, she said.
“Connecting with readers is probably my favorite part,” Van Pelt said. “This is a dream job for so many reasons, but being able to go to events like this and talk to readers, it’s definitely the most fun part of the job.”
Past books in the biennial Read Together campaign include “The Story of Arthur Truluv” by Elizabeth Berg in 2022 and “The Nickel Boys” by Colson Whitehead in 2020.
As part of the Read Together campaign, the Palm Beach County Library System and the coalition’s community partners are hosting book discussions and events throughout November. A Read Together discussion guide is available on the Literacy Coalition’s website, literacypbc.org. “Remarkably Bright Creatures” is available in hardcover and audio at local libraries and bookstores. Copies of the hardcover book are available from the Literacy Coalition for a $20 donation.
For more information, go to literacypbc.org.
If you go
What: Read Together Palm Beach County finale
Where: Duncan Theatre, Palm Beach State College, 4200 S. Congress Ave., Lake Worth Beach
When: 6 p.m. Nov. 18
Cost: Free; donations suggested
Register: Registration is required online at literacypbc.org
Kristina Webb is a reporter for Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at [email protected]. Subscribe today to support our journalism.
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