When a curmudgeonly cephalopod and a stoic Swede meet at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, it brings one out behind his rock on one last quest before his death and the other out from behind her metaphorical “grief rock” to realize life is still worth living. Shelby Van Pelt’s debut book is a buoy in a sea of nihilism, earnestly charming and sweet.

Book Review: Remarkbly Bright Creatures