As soon as I realised an octopus was a narrator of this novel, I simply had to read it. However, it needs to be noted that the octopus is only one of several narrators, and has the least amount of space or text time, regretfully. It is quite the most charming of all the characters, and I may have enjoyed the novel even more if Marcellus, the giant Pacific octopus, was sole narrator.
We learn early that the giant Pacific octopus has only a 4 year lifespan, or 1460 days. Marcellus begins his communications telling us what day it is. The first time we meet him, it is day 1229 of his captivity. So the novel is always tinged with poignancy, knowing our beloved narrator’s time is rapidly running out. There is also the bittersweet note of his being a lifelong prisoner, and worse, his awareness of being in captivity and having his freedom and choices taken away from him.
“I was brought here as a juvenile. I shall die here in this tank. At the very most, one hundred and sixty days remain until my sentence is complete” (p2).
(This is a bit odd though – yes, a giant Pacific octopus may have a lifespan of 4 years, but surely that is an average? They do not drop dead on day 1460, do they?)
Although Marcellus’ tone is always matter of fact, and even humorous, definitely never self-pitying, there is no doubt this is a lonely and sad octopus thanks to human intervention (he was supposedly a rescued octopus after a wool eel took one of his arms. Humans however, took his freedom and his life in the sea, and with that, all his choices and his chance to procreate too). Because Marcellus is so very sentient, intelligent, perceptive, and charming, it feels an abomination that such a creature is held captive against its will, practically criminal. Marcellus claims to be able to recognise every human face he has seen, and every fingerprint left on the glass of his tank. He can observe genetical similarities in humans, spot patterns, solve problems. The author would have us believe too that Marcellus can count – up to more than a thousand, given he knows the days of his captivity, and apparently he can read (English at least) too – because he apparently learnt from a poster he saw in the aquarium., that he even knows how many days human gestation takes. Now although I do believe octopi are incredible creatures, and exceptionally intelligent, and indeed, problem solvers and shape shifters and camouflage artists, I am not quite ready to believe that they can – in a 4 year lifespan – learn to read English on their own with no teaching or help, and to count up to 1460, or know so many facts. That said, I am so fond of Marcellus that I will gladly suspend disbelief and enjoy this story about his genius.
Marcellus breaks out of his tank regularly because he is bored, given his superior intelligence. And because he fancies a snack of sea cucumbers and other molluscs, which he can access in other tanks. Marcellus’ love of food is endearing:
“[…] so I forsook every tempting mollusk on the way. The pacific geoduck clam exhibit looked especially ripe for the picking tonight. The humans call them gooey ducks, but their texture is pleasantly firm” (p249)
“Last night I journeyed around the bend to see if the rock crabs are molting, as they are most delicious when their shells are soft” (p150)
“It was a red rock crab, one that was molting. Soft and juicy. I consumed it in a single bite” (p73).
However, each time he leaves his tank, he has about 18 minutes grace before what he calls The Consequences, when he starts drying out, and needs to be back in his tank and submerged in water, in order to survive.
But Marcellus’ brilliance and incarceration is not the purport of the story. The story is about the role this remarkable octopus plays in reconciling humans. The two key human characters in the story are 2 generations apart, 70 year old Tova, and 30 year old Cameron. Cameron is a bit of a ne’er do well, unable to hold down a job, though we are repeatedly told he is bright. He doesn’t come across as much of a person actually, despite being our hero figure. He lacks discipline, is impetuous, does not seem to think about consequences, constantly looks to his friends and his Aunt Jeanne to bail him out, and behaves more like a teenager than a man of 30. I gather he is supposed to be lovable, endearing, good hearted and good intentioned, but I remained lukewarm at best towards this character, which went someway to compromising my enjoyment of the book since I didn’t care all that much for Cameron’s happiness. But Tova is another story. Tova is a delightful character, stoical, practical, culturally Swedish in many ways although she immigrated to the USA with her parents as child of 7. Tova does things properly, is careful and diligent and thorough, and is also thoughtful about others, even non-human others. She nurses a tragedy, the untimely loss of her own 18-year old son 30 years ago, and of course the reader can already guess the ‘plot’ given the timelines. But this is not a whodunnit, so that does not matter much: what we want to know is how Cameron and Tova’s lives will meet each other’s.
Tova is Marcellus’ only friend, the only human he actually has a connection with. Tova Sullivan is actually a very well-off widow who takes a job mopping floors and emptying trash bins and cleaning at the aquarium, because she wants to keep busy after the death of her son and her husband. She talks to all the creatures in the aquarium, but is touched – and literally too – by Marcellus. She realises the 60-pound octopus is an escape artist, who finds it easy to break out of his tank. She finds him sometimes outside his tank on his excursions, and on more than one occasion, has rescued him from difficulties (such as being entangled in power cords). She also understands his need for freedom. Apart from Tova, Marcellus doesn’t really take to any other humans. Marcellus has a rather low – read realistic – opinion of humans:
“Humans have few redeeming qualities […]” (p59)
“How predictable you humans are!” (p67)
“Humans. For the most part you are dull and blundering. But occasionally, you can be remarkably bright creatures” (p350).
That last is how the novel ends. To be honest, I am not even sure why Marcellus bothers to intervene in the affairs of humans, except perhaps because he cares for his friend, Tova. But apart from Tova, the other humans in this novel are indeed so dull and tedious, it is no wonder they are not really worth bothering about. I would have been happy to just read a novel about Marcellus, not about all those blundering humans he helps. Tova is a dear, but honestly, the rest of the plot was just so much wading through, to get back to Marcellus and Tova and find out how their story ends. I would have been happy to edit out all the rest, especially Cameron’s story. Wish Van Pelt had just written about the octopus, never mind the inept 30 year old teenaged man who is supposed to be our protagonist. But of course, it is Marcellus who is the hero of the story, in every way. If only Van Pelt would write a whole novel featuring just an octopus, or octopi, for that matter, as our protagonists!
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