by Shelby Van Pelt, 2022
A very fun novel! This book is the last book selected for the 2023-2024 Old Town Library Book Club. I loved the characters: Tova, an elderly Swedish lady who cleans the aquarium; Marcellus, a remarkably bright Giant Pacific Octopus who lives in the aquarium and knows what happened to Erik, Tova’s son who disappeared into the sea 18 years ago and was never found; Cameron, a handsome young man looking for his father, abandoned by his druggie mother; Ethan, a Scottish grocery store owner in love with Tova; Avery, young and beautiful single mom, becoming Cameron’s love. I also loved the setting: the Pacific Northwest in a town called Sowell Bay near the Puget Sound. I loved the ending, too. Tova finds out that Cameron is her grandson. She discovers this because of the clues Marcellus leaves her. He escapes his tank at night and puts things in places where only Tova will find them, Cameron’s driver’s license, and the class ring of her deceased son, Erik.
It was a wonderful diversion, reading this book while working on the clean-out of Mom’s home. A very good escape. Thank you, Shelby Van Pelt. You are an excellent writer! Wonderful first novel!