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This post contains book club questions for Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. If you have not yet read the book these questions may contain spoilers.
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt is an incredible story of loss, grief, and hope.
This was by far one of the greatest books I have read this year. I will have heart eyes for Marcellus forever.
If you are looking for your next book, this one will make for a great discussion. For the 8.5 x 11 version of the questions click here.
As always, these book club questions are designed to get the discussion going at your next meeting, but feel free to add your own!
See the complete list of questions below.
Book Club Questions for Remarkably Bright Creatures:
What 3 words would you use to best describe this book?
Tova and Cameron both cope with their grief in different ways. For Tova, grief is something to outrun by keeping busy. For Cameron it is something to stew in, which often results in him not reaching his full potential. How do you think two people who cope so differently were able to help each other?
Marcellus said that it was his dying wish for Tova to know her connection to Cameron. Why do you think Marcellus took a liking to Tova? What do you believe his motive to be in giving Tova this information?
Several times Avery alludes to the woman that she stopped from jumping off the pier. Towards the end of the novel she tells Tova that this woman was rambling about a boating accident. Do you believe this woman to be Cameron’s mother? Or someone else?
Book Club Questions Continued Below...
Marcellus was rescued after a life-threatening injury and has been at the aquarium since. Aquariums play an important role in education and conservation, but some people view keeping animals, especially intelligent ones, in captivity with skepticism. What do you think?
Cameron thinks his life will be better as soon as he gets a substantial amount of money from his real estate developer father. How do you think the story would have gone if Simon Brinks actually was Cameron’s father?
Tova applies for an apartment at Charter Village because she has no surviving family members and doesn’t want to be a drain on her friends. How do you view the role of family and community in caring for older people? How did Tova’s views on this change throughout the book, and why do you think they did?
Tova has experienced much loss in her life. She knows that Will was her great love, but that leads to her feeling like she must now grow old alone. How do you think grief has impacted her decision to be alone? What do you think changes that allows her to be open to Ethan?
If you had to choose one lesson the author was trying to teach us with this story what would it be?
What was your favorite moment of the book? What was your least?
Does this book warrant a sequel? Whose story and what story-line would you want to know more about? What about a prequel or companion book?