Bookworm in the City

No. 20 – A book that prominently features an animal

Remarkably bright creatures / Shelby Van Pelt

I was afraid that this challenge entry would end up being a book with/about a cat or dog (nothing wrong with those, just a bit predictable), but then I found this gem and now I want to read more books about not-your-average animal side-kick, so if anyone has any tips on that, please let me know!

This book is about Tova, Cameron, and Marcellus:
Tova is an older woman who still has a cleaning job at the aquarium because retiring would mean stop moving, and she’s not sure she can do that. She’s been moving and cleaning ever since the disappearance of her son.
Cameron is a young man who’s messed up another relationship, lost another job, had his truck repossessed, and is watching his friends starting to grow families.
Marcellus is an octopus living in the aquarium, studying humans and their behavior from behind the glass of his tank.

Tova lost her son when he was eighteen and the mystery of his disappearance is still only talked about in hushed voices. Then Tova’s husband passed away, and she’s left alone in the old family house that is now too big. Unlike her friends, she has no children or grandchildren who will check in on her, or help her out and she is considering moving into a retirement home.
When she suffers a bad fall and has to wear a protective boot for weeks and isn’t allowed to work, she’s forced to sit still and think things over. The only thing she can really think about though, is Marcellus, the giant Pacific octopus back at the aquarium.
Marcellus has become Tova’s confidante and she talks to him while she cleans the glass of his tank. She also lets him pet her, and helps him escape or get back into his tank.
Marcellus is a smart cookie even though he isn’t a baked good, and he knows things about Tova she isn’t aware of. Marcellus also knows that he is fast approaching the end of his life expectancy. He knows this because getting in and out of his tank is becoming increasingly more difficult. He’s also been counting the days of his captivity and the sign outside his tank reads that his species averages four years. It’s an easy sum to make, and he’s accepted his fate and the fact that he won’t experience the open ocean ever again.
When Tova is out with her injury, the aquarium needs a new cleaner, and in steps Cameron. Cameron has moved to Sowell Bay from California after learning it is the place where his father was from. His mother was a troubled teenager when she had him, and attempted to raise him despite her addictions. She walked out of his life when he was nine though, and has never been in touch since. Cameron was raised by his aunt instead, and carries a lot of anger and resentment. Refusing to leave until he’s spoken to his father, he gets himself a job at the aquarium as a temporary cleaner, a job, he is surprised to discover, he actually likes.
Tova is sitting at home, imagining grubby finger prints on the glass of tanks in the aquarium, and dust bunnies underneath benches now that she’s not there to clean, so she sneaks in late in the evening to check on things. She’s surprised to discover that Cameron is doing a pretty decent job, although he’s not quite up there to her standards. So, she decides to train him, not just in the importance of properly lining the trash bags in the cans, but also in how to treat Marcellus.

This book is about family, blood-related or not, the questionable practice of keeping animals in cages or tanks, the cycle of life, and the importance of feeling appreciated. That might sound heavy, but it’s still an easy read because this book has a whole lot of heart in it. (An octopus joke. They have three!)