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3.5 rounded up

In the documentary, ‘My Octopus Teacher,�� a bond is formed between Craig Foster and a young octopus. Seeing the intelligence and curiosity of the young octopus aroused my own curiosity about this creature and accentuated my interest in this book.

In this story, Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus, lives at the aquarium where Tova Sullivan works. Two years ago, Tova’s husband, Will, died. Thirty years before that, her son, Erik, disappeared on the Puget Sound. Now, when her friends talk about their children and grandchildren, Tova realizes how alone she is in the world. Tova is 70 years old, but she is independently minded, not wanting to accept the help of friends as she ages.

I was reminded of the importance of social networks as we age by Tova’s wonderful support system, the Knit-Wits. A group of friends that initially started getting together to knit, their weekly meetings have become something more. Tova is the kind of woman that would rather suffer than admit she needs help. However, sometimes her friends gently insert themselves into Tova’s life, offering the best of themselves to offset Tova’s loneliness.

When Tova begins talking to Marcellus at the aquarium, she is surprised at the creature’s intelligence. In the chapters narrated by Marcellus, his acute skills of observation are on display. Marcellus will become instrumental in revealing a mystery that lies at the heart of this story.

This is a debut novel by Shelby Van Pelt that I very much enjoyed. The timeline is linear; the characters are well described. I became invested in their stories. I solved the mystery well ahead of the end of the book which I'm sure was the author’s intent. This one is about the journey and the connections we make along the way. Some situations stretched my credulity but there is gold in the message of the novel. Don’t overlook your friends or sell them short. Friends may pop up in the most unexpected places�� an aquarium or on the pages of a book or the comments section of ŷ������. As we age, there are losses, but often, if we are aware, there is a new find, a solved mystery, a new hobby, a new passion, or a new friend (in the form of a person or animal). In the octopus, Marcellus, Van Pelt reminds me not to close myself off to the possibilities.