Synopsis:
After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night cleaner shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium. Ever since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat over thirty years ago keeping busy has helped her cope. One night she meets Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium who sees everything, but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors – until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.
Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova’s son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it’s too late…
Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel is a reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.
‘You won’t be able to put it down because when you’re not reading this book you’ll be hugging it.’ Jamie Ford
‘Truly original and touching‘ Helen Hoang
Average Score: 4.14
Review: The group’s scores shoot this book into our Top Five books! We thought it was very well done in general, with every character having a clear purpose to the story and good development for the main characters. We all agreed that we would have liked more octopus in this book and that many other books would be improved with the addition of a sardonic octopus!
Because the book was so well done, we were willing to forgive stretches of reality and any slightly contrived pieces. It feels a little bit like a Hallmark movie (in a good way), you feel in safe hands, knowing that nothing awful is likely to happen.
The Next Chapter Book Club 