After seeing the endless praise for this book, I knew that I had to get my hands on a copy. At the next bookstore I visited, I bought it, and a month later I started reading. While the book was good, I must admit that it didn’t meet my expectations.

“She understands what it means to never be able to stop moving, lest you find yourself unable to breathe.” 

Premise of the book:

Tova Sullivan, a recent widower, finds herself working at the aquarium as a night cleaner. She has always liked to keep busy to cope, especially after the mysterious death of her 18-year-old son. At this very job, Tova gets to know the Pacific octopus, Marcellus. 

Marcellus never would have believed in a million years that he would help out one of his captors, but after he finds a friend in Tova, his mindset changes. He realizes something about the night that Tova’s son disappeared. Now he has to relay what he found to Tova.

Cameron is a young man who doesn’t have much going for him. When he believes that he can find his long-lost father in Sowell Bay, Washington, he finds himself traveling there. While there, he realizes he needs a temporary job, and he finds himself working right alongside Tova.

“Why can humans not use their millions of words to simply tell one another what they desire?” 

Pros/positives:

*Tova and Marcellus’ characters*

I loved Tova and Marcellus’ perspective. You could see how strong Tova was, and I enjoyed her commentary, like when she scolded Cameron for not putting the trash bag on correctly. She was such a kind soul and was stubborn when she was fighting for what she loved. It was hard not to grow attached to her. I rarely see main characters who are above the age of 40, let alone one who is 70 years old. It was a good change to be able to read about the struggles someone her age might face when growing older.

Marcellus was interesting because it’s not every day you get to read from the perspective of a smart octopus! I felt like the reader and Marcellus were in the same boat, as we both could see the dots connected when none of the other characters could. Marcellus had to make them see it. It was funny to read about Marcellus being puzzled over some of the sayings humans have. Like how Marcellus was confused by people calling others a ‘smart cookie’, since cookies are food. 

Tora and Marcellus just added a lot of fun and light to the story, giving unique perspectives on the novel’s plot.

*Setting*

I enjoyed the setting of a small town. I always love it when authors remember how much gossip a small town carries. It seems like everyone is in each other’s business, and the fact that the town only had one supermarket was realistic. 

However, you could also tell everyone here cared for one another. Like how Tova’s friends in the Knit-Wit made sure Tova was okay after she accidentally injured herself, or how Ethan wouldn’t always make people pay for small purchases. You could see it was a close community, but it also had its downsides that the author made sure to highlight.

*Ending*

This book had a heartwarming ending. I loved how everyone managed to find their inner peace and happiness. It was very satisfying to read about the characters realizing the truth. There is nothing better than watching characters connect the dots that you saw many, many pages ago. It wrapped up the book nicely and left me content. It was also great that the novel had nice chapter lengths, which helped keep my mood up until the very end. 

“Conscience does make cowards of us all.” 

In between/neutral:

*Cameron*

I actually can’t with Cameron. I wanted to like him; I really did, and I have to admit that at the very, very end, he seemed to be lovely. However, oh my gosh, Cameron, pull it together!

He was such a man-baby. I understand that he went through a lot, with his mother leaving him and all when he was young, but his lovely aunt raised him and cared for him deeply. Someone’s mother leaving them is very traumatic, but Cameron kept using it as an excuse, not a reason, for why he was acting the way he was. I just felt like he was such a child, not a 30-year-old man. 

He couldn’t do anything, especially not without complaining, and it was annoying me so badly. Fill out a piece of paper to get a scholarship? Nope. His girlfriend asks that he put his name on the lease? God forbid she even suggests that. Don’t even bring up how this man can’t keep a job! 

I couldn’t handle how he constantly expected the worst, even when he was the one causing the issues. Like, Cameron, you can’t always blame your mom for everything you mess up. I just couldn’t pick a side with him. One minute he was fine; the next I was pulling my hair out in anger at his actions. 

“You can’t fix someone who is determined to stay broken.” 

Cons/negatives: 

*Pacing*

This book was very slow in some parts. It was basically just following Tova and Cameron’s lives. There were a few times I would make myself keep reading because I knew that if I stopped, it would be hard to pick the novel back up. It felt like some parts didn’t contribute to the story at all, while other parts, like at the very end, were crammed full of plot-relevant realizations. I just wish that there was a little more, especially for a book that has so many great reviews. 

*Not enough Marcellus*

The summary of the book makes it seem like Marcellus is a huge part of this book. While Marcellus’ actions manage to heavily move the plot forward, his actual POV doesn’t take up nearly as much of the book as I thought. This is even more disappointing since I enjoyed his POV much, much more than Cameron’s, but sadly Cameron stole most of the spotlight. We got a few very short chapters in Marcellus’ POV, but nothing else. Even Marcellus himself isn’t seen much, with him mostly being mentioned.

“Ah, to be a human, for whom bliss can be achieved by mere ignorance! Here, in the kingdom of animals, ignorance is dangerous. The poor herring dropped into the tank lacks any awareness of the shark lurking below. Ask the herring whether what he doesn’t know can hurt him.” 

Conclusion: 

Pros – Tova and Marcellus’ characters, setting, ending.

In between – Cameron…

Cons – Pacing, not enough Marcellus

Overall – 3.5 out of 5

“Humans. For the most part, you are dull and blundering. But, occasionally, you can be remarkably bright creatures.”