Reviewed by Kristin
Marcellus the giant Pacific Octopus begins his narrative with
“Day 1,299 of My Captivity…” setting the tone for his perception of the state
of affairs at the Sowell Bay Aquarium on Puget Sound. Marcellus was captured as
a juvenile, and he has learned that his kind only live 3-5 years (1095-1460
days), so he assumes that he has maybe 160 days left, give or take. He is,
after all, a very intelligent and methodical creature. Marcellus likes to
stretch his limits, but he is very aware of “The Consequences” of poking his
tentacles into forbidden areas.
Tova Sullivan recently lost her husband, and began working at
the aquarium as a night cleaner just to fill the hours. Tova takes great pride
in her work, eschewing the industrial cleaners for her homemade vinegar and
lemon oil mixture. Thousands of little hands and feet dirty the glass and the
floors of the aquarium every week, and Tova wipes away every trace of dirt,
even in little seen corners and behind statues. She may be over seventy and
tiny, but Tova would rather die than to do less than her best.
Cameron Cassmore has been told all his life that he’s a screw
up. Sure, he keeps getting fired from jobs, but it’s really not fair that his
boss got that mad when he was only
ten minutes late. His Aunt Jeanne has his back, but it seems like nobody else
in the world does. When he has a chance to finally find his father, a man he
assumed just didn’t exist for the last thirty years, he has to take a leap.
These three unlikely characters connect in ways I did not
expect. Tova is friendly to all the aquarium creatures, saying “Hello, dears!”
to the eels and the sharks, but it is Marcellus who actually understands her,
though of course she doesn’t fully comprehend. Cameron drives into Sowell Bay in
a decrepit camper he bought along the way and stumbles into a part time job at
the aquarium. Marcellus, Tova, and Cameron may differ wildly from each other in
age and life experiences, but their stories are interwoven as they come to
appreciate, and even heal, one another.
The audiobook narrators (Marin Ireland and Michael Urie) added
a beautiful layer to the story. This is Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel, and I
certainly look forward to more from this promising author.
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