About this Event
We are delighted that Shelby Van Pelt, author of the New York Times bestseller and award winning Remarkably Bright Creatures, will be joining us on the Kepler's stage. Described as "an ultimately feel-good but deceptively sensitive debut" Remarkably Bright Creatures is a charming, witty and compulsively readable exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope that traces a widow's unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus.
Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible. After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.
Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine 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 invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it’s too late.
Shelby Van Pelt will be in conversation with Karen Joy Fowler.
About the Authors
Shelby Van Pelt was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, and now lives in the suburbs of Chicago with her family. Remarkably Bright Creatures is her first novel.
Karen Joy Fowler is a novelist and short story writer. Her fourth novel, The Jane Austen Book Club, was a NY Times bestseller and her sixth, We are all completely beside ourselves, won the PEN/FAULKNER for fiction in 2013 and was shortlisted for the Man/Booker. Her most recent, Booth, was published in March of 2022. At present, she’s written seven novels, has seven grandchildren, and lives in Santa Cruz.
COVID SAFETY PROTOCOLS: We strongly encourage attendees to wear masks at our events, although they will NOT be required. We will have masks available for attendees who want them. Do NOT attend the event if you, or any member of your family, have any respiratory symptoms (e.g. cough, runny nose, and/or sore throat), or have had a significant exposure to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. We have virtual options available, or we can refund your ticket(s).
ACCESSIBILITY: To request an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for this event, please email events [at] keplers [dot] org at least one week prior to the event.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Kepler's Books, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, United States
USD 11.49 to USD 35.00
