Widow Tova Sullivan works as a cleaner at the Sowell Bay Aquarium and strikes up an acquaintance with the resident Pacific octopus, Marcellus. Can this remarkably bright creature get the humans to see the answer to the book's mystery?
I'm waiting to see if a library copy becomes available, but will probably buy a copy if needed based on everyone's high praise. There's a long waiting list at the library but sometimes they offer a copy earlier for some reason so I might be lucky. It must be a popular book!
Tantilizing! I read half this book and adored it, it was due back at the library and there were a bunch of reserves on it and so I have taken it back and am in the queue to get my hands on it again to finish it. Absolutely magical!
As I explained when we were discussing adding this book to the Ship Book Group reads, I read this book some months ago and have not reread it for this discussion (so many books-in-waiting). So these are "Discussion Lite" starter questions. There are more at Reading Group Guides if anyone wants to pick up on any of those. I'm also indebted to Goodreads reviewer Abby Kincanon for the "insufferable man-child"question.
1. Was this your first time of reading or a reread?
2. Did you enjoy it?
3. Was the "willing suspension of disbelief" hard for you - which elements of the book were particularly hard? - or did the story carry you along?
4. Were there particular characters that you liked and others that you disliked?
5. "I want more octopus and less insufferable man-child" - Abby Kincanon. Do you agree?
1. Was this your first time of reading or a reread?
First time, after it was recommended on Ship!
2. Did you enjoy it?
Yes, very much.
3. Was the "willing suspension of disbelief" hard for you - which elements of the book were particularly hard? - or did the story carry you along?
I found the octopus very believable. I had a hard time with the "insufferable man-child," probably due to too much exposure in real life. I mean, I've seen (and lived with) people like that, long ago, and for whatever weird psychological reason, it makes me have trouble believing it now when it goes on at such length, and the fuckwittery blocks off every single avenue--he can't even manage to get his transportation straight. There comes a point where the ongoing fuck-up-your-lifeness just makes me want to say, "Get a clue."
I did have a bit of trouble with the ring making it through so many coincidences to finally bring the truth to the surface. But it was mild.
4. Were there particular characters that you liked and others that you disliked?
The octopus was wonderful--not at all sentimental, a kind of detached intelligence that nevertheless managed to learn to care for Tova while remaining ... is "alien" the word I'm looking for? A creature who sees his situation clearly enough to be totting up the days of his captivity, and who regards death and its prodrome ("The consequences") as a calculated risk to take while carrying out his plans. A creature who regards the other creatures in the aquarium as either snacks or dangers, and treats them in ways that are most likely to serve his own ends--and manages to succeed because he judges them so well.
I liked Tova too, especially the bits where she was cooperating with the octopus's unsanctioned trips out of the tank, and preventing the aquarium staff from discovering or preventing them.
5. "I want more octopus and less insufferable man-child" - Abby Kincanon. Do you agree?
Yes, please. I would be glad to see about 500% more octopus. (I do want to know why the staff never figured out that the missing sea creatures had wound up as octopus snacks. It would be the first thing I'd think of, after reading up on the creatures--even without evidence that the octopus was taking nightly strolls.)
6. Anything else you would like to discuss?
I want to know where the mother of the "man-child" is. Since she's apparently alive, and theoretically reachable, I kept expecting her to turn up, if only in an email or something. She could, after all, testify to the paternity stuff. But she doesn't. While that is the kind of loose end that happens all the time in real life, the rest of this novel ties things up so neatly that I wasn't expecting this to go un-tied.
I wasn't sure I would get the book from the library in time, but I got it yesterday.
Answers to questions:
1. Yes, first time reading it. It's not something I would normally go for.
2. Yes, I did enjoy it.
3. The only part where my 'willing suspension of disbelief' was strained was when I was asked to believe that all the insufferable man-child's friends and relations would go on forgiving him. As for the rest of it... what can I say, I read murder mysteries. Now there's a genre that really requires suspension of disbelief.
4. I liked all of the characters with the possible exception of the man-child, but my favourite was the octopus. Of course.
5. Having said that, I am not sure the book would have worked so well with more cephalopod. There are only so many things you can say about an octopus that likes to get out of his tank and help himself to midnight snacks, even one who is trying to reunite his best friend with a long-lost member of her family.
6. I really liked the ending. I thought for a while it was going to be 'Tova changes her mind about selling her house' but what the author did was better. Time for her to let go of some things, but not everything, and to move on to others.
1. Was this your first time of reading or a reread?
I read it some months ago for my real life book group and have not reread it for the discussion.
2. Did you enjoy it?
Yes I did.
3. Was the "willing suspension of disbelief" hard for you - which elements of the book were particularly hard? - or did the story carry you along?
The story carried me along. Once I accepted that Marcellus really was that intelligent (could read, etc) the rest of it was believable for me.
4. Were there particular characters that you liked and others that you disliked?
Marcellus and Tova were my favourites - my heart ached for Tova and the loss and uncertainty she lived with for so many years - and Cameron tried my patience sorely. I speed-read some of the bits about him.
5. "I want more octopus and less insufferable man-child" - Abby Kincanon. Do you agree? Yes. I enjoyed the passages about and by Marcellus the best of them all.
6. Anything else you would like to discuss?
So as I said, I didn't reread this for the discussion so some of the details are hazy in my mind. I remember being very satisfied by the ending, on everyone's behalf, but can someone remind me the details of exactly how Tova realised Cameron was her grandson? I know it was from the high school ring that Cameron had (which his mother had told him belonged to his father and was engraved with Erik's initials) but did Cameron show her the ring? I have a feeling Marcellus was involved in that somehow?
I also would like to know what happened to Cameron's mother Daphne; wasn't there some hint at the end of the book that her sister Jeanne was going to try to find her...?
And at the end Marcellus goes back to the ocean, is that right? Was it Tova who did that?
Cameron the insufferable man-child threw the ring into the wolf eel tank in a tantrum. Marcellus got it back and gave it to Tova, which is when she realised who Cameron's father was.
Tova found Marcellus almost dead on the aquarium floor, managed to get him into her mop bucket and wheeled him back to the ocean. I did like that bit, even though Marcellus only has a few days left to live by then.
1. Was this your first time of reading or a reread?
It was my first time reading it.
2. Did you enjoy it?
Immensely.
3. Was the "willing suspension of disbelief" hard for you - which elements of the book were particularly hard? - or did the story carry you along?
I found the octopus quite believable. We had just the right of dialogue from his point of view. I think much more might have been too much and pushed the willing suspension. I found all of the coincidences to be something that was a little more difficult to believe.
4. Were there particular characters that you liked and others that you disliked?
5. "I want more octopus and less insufferable man-child" - Abby Kincanon. Do you agree?
I disagree although I may be the first male to post on the book. I can relate to Cameron in some ways. Many of my years in grad school were aimless culminating in the intelligent decision to withdraw from my doctoral studies. My early thirties as I was establishing my career in pse student services were ones in which I did not always make sound judgements and almost self-sabotaged my career. I also grew up in a working class neighbourhood with many Cameron’s and have much empathy for them.
6. Anything else you would like to discuss?
Despite the fact the coincidences were many, the plot aspect of Tova and Cameron learning of their relationship and Cameron finally becoming comfortable in his skin and experiencing different types of love and relationships was touching to me.
1. Was this your first time of reading or a reread? First time
2. Did you enjoy it? Yes, very much
3. Was the "willing suspension of disbelief" hard for you - which elements of the book were particularly hard? - or did the story carry you along?
I found the story carried me along. Sure the coincidence of Cameron being Tove’s grandson is a bit much, but was emotionally satisfying. Nor am I sure that a Great Pacific Octopus can read, but so what?
4. Were there particular characters that you liked and others that you disliked?
Marcellus was a great character, self-aware, clever, and while seeing his neighbours as food, nonetheless has concern for Tove and even Cameron. I liked that he ended up, even if briefly, in the ocean – and the picture of Tove wheeling him in a bucket is great. Tove is a stoic figure, she is mourning her husband and also the disappearance and assumed drowning of her son 30 years earlier; she has a group of friends and pride in her Scandinavian heritage – and she realises Marcellus’ intelligence and connives at his wanderings around the aquarium after dark. (I think that there is at the end of the book and acknowledgement that the Terry at least realised Marcellus was eating his neighbours).
5. "I want more octopus and less insufferable man-child" - Abby Kincanon. Do you agree?
I was less irritated, perhaps, by Cameron’s bumbling incompetence than others, but I did keep visualising him as a teenager (which is how he behaves) rather than a 30 yr-old. If anyone can make him pull himself together it’s Tove. I think I agree with others that, delightful as Marcellus is, more octopus might have backfired – better to be wanting more.
I did wonder whether Cameron's bumbling incompetence was modelled on someone the author knows. I suppose I find him irritating because of the contrast with the young woman who was forced to grow up at the age of 17 because she had a baby. But the author does make the point (via Cameron's mother) that not all teenage mothers are able to claw their way back up to running their own business and having an amazing life.
Cameron the insufferable man-child threw the ring into the wolf eel tank in a tantrum. Marcellus got it back and gave it to Tova, which is when she realised who Cameron's father was.
Tova found Marcellus almost dead on the aquarium floor, managed to get him into her mop bucket and wheeled him back to the ocean. I did like that bit, even though Marcellus only has a few days left to live by then.
1. Was this your first time of reading or a reread?
First time of reading. I only read it because so many people on the Ship mentioned it.
2. Did you enjoy it?
Yes, though I didn't love it. I found it a perfectly pleasant read. My husband, on the other hand, who I thought would enjoy it more being far more romantic than me, hated it with a passion and only managed a chapter or two.
3. Was the "willing suspension of disbelief" hard for you - which elements of the book were particularly hard? - or did the story carry you along?
I found it pretty easy to suspend belief, though I thought an octopus being able to see a family resemblance that humans missed was stretching it a bit.
4. Were there particular characters that you liked and others that you disliked?
I liked Tova, she seemed worthy of a much more serious book about grief. I also liked her relationship with her knit-wit friends, and the choices you have to make as you age.
5. "I want more octopus and less insufferable man-child" - Abby Kincanon. Do you agree?Cameron was one of those sort of characters you want to shake and point out what an idiot they are being. I'm glad he had a chance to grow up, unlike Erik. However I thought there was just enough of him and the octopus in the book and they balanced each other quite well.
6. Anything else you would like to discuss?
Firstly I think I must be pretty hard hearted as it didn't move me at all, I felt it was all going to pan out in the way it did. Secondly I thought the reveal as to what actually happened to Erik was rather far fetched in that Avery just happened to me Cameron's mum. It would have been better if the mum had made an appearance even if she'd then disappeared again.
1. Was this your first time of reading or a reread?
This was my first time reading.
2. Did you enjoy it?
I enjoyed the book. I knew it would have a happy ending for the humans and a bitter sweet one for Marcellus. My parents loved the documentary [iMy Octopus Teacher[/i], but told me the sad ending so I never watched it as I knew it would be too sad for me. I couldn't feel quite as much for a fictional octopus.
3. Was the "willing suspension of disbelief" hard for you - which elements of the book were particularly hard? - or did the story carry you along?
The story carried me along, but I couldn't quite find Marcellus to be a real octopus. I was reading Connie Willis' Road to Roswell at the same time and found myself comparing Indy the alien to Marcellus and found the alien more realistic and myself more invested in his life. Maybe because I knew Marcellus was going to die.
I once read an article on real life octopuses who lived in aquariums and performed similar hijinks as Marcellus and found it fascinating how intelligent they are. I'm guessing similar stories of real life octopuses inspired the novel.
4. Were there particular characters that you liked and others that you disliked?
I liked Tova's friends - the knitwits and Ethan - and am glad she was able to recognise how much they cared for her by the end. She seemed to have walls up due to her grief. I found it hard to understand why Tova abandoned Cat when she moved - it would have made more sense if he was spooked by the movers and went and hid and only turned up when the new owners had moved in.
5. "I want more octopus and less insufferable man-child" - Abby Kincanon. Do you agree?
It was understandable that Cameron was the way he was. However, his transformation into a responsible adult was too rushed for me, and he acted immature for too much of the novel. I expected his bank of knowledge would have extended to marine life, leading to a successful job at the aquarium, a shared/equal relationship with Marcellus and Tova and then going back to study to gain a relevant degree. Then maybe meeting a new or potential girlfriend, but I don't think a romantic relationship was necessary to the storyline. He seemed to really dislike construction work so I was surprised he went back to that.
Also it annoyed me that Avery fell for him so fast, particularly as any serious partner needed to be mature enough to be a stepfather. I guess Cameron had Erik's charm, because I didn't get the impression he was particularly good looking or that he took care of himself.
6. Anything else you would like to discuss?
A lot of this book defied my predictions. I thought Erik may have been murdered during a robbery of the toll booth or by an ex-boyfriend of Daphne. And Daphne ran off and had the problems she did due to her indirect involvement. Like others I was surprised Daphne didn't turn up or at least be found in the book.
I did enjoy the book (read it last year) although it was in the liked-it-didn't-love it category for me. An enjoyable read but not one that lingers with me the way some books do.
I didn't find the suspension of disbelief difficult -- I read a lot of novels that are fantasy or fantasy-adjacent, so the octopus point of view was not a stretch for me, though I wasn't entirely sure everything Marcellus was able to do, was consistent within the world of the story.
I'm probably in the minority in that I really liked Cameron's character -- I'm kind of a sucker for an insufferable man-child although I do try to keep that more to fiction than to real life (not so when I was young, sadly ... I would have fallen instantly for a Cameron in my 20s, and sometimes did). I definitely could have used more insufferable man-child and less octopus -- I didn't find Marcellus as engaging a character as most readers seem to, though I did appreciate the unique octopus perspective and voice.
Tova was the heart of the story for me; I liked the way she was sort of prickly and difficult even with the people she cared about, and how the gradual changes in her character did not always follow predictable paths. The bonds among her group of friends and the changes that age was bringing to them felt poignant and believable, and made me think about where I am my group of close friends will be in another 10 years or so.
1. Was this your first time of reading or a reread?
First time of reading, several months ago. I did not re-read.
2. Did you enjoy it?
Yes, which surprised me, I am not usually a big fan of fiction..
3. Was the "willing suspension of disbelief" hard for you - which elements of the book were particularly hard? - or did the story carry you along?
The octopus was a bit smarter, but they are smart enough in real life that I could stretch my mind to believe it.
4. Were there particular characters that you liked and others that you disliked?
I liked Tova a lot, and I felt she would be someone I would like as a friend. Cameron just made me tired.
5. "I want more octopus and less insufferable man-child" - Abby Kincanon. Do you agree?
Totally.
1. Was this your first time of reading or a reread?
This was a reread.
2. Did you enjoy it?
Very much! I thought that the second read wouldn't be as enjoyable as the first was, but this time, I was able to notice some details I missed in the first reading.
3. Was the "willing suspension of disbelief" hard for you - which elements of the book were particularly hard? - or did the story carry you along?
The books I read are mostly fiction, so my suspension of disbelief is almost automatic. Like @Graven Image, I will never eat octopus again. The one time I tried, I didn't like it, anyway.
4. Were there particular characters that you liked and others that you disliked?
Most of the characters I liked a lot. Cameron was such a brat until the end when he seemed to finally grow up a bit!
5. "I want more octopus and less insufferable man-child" - Abby Kincanon. Do you agree?
More octopus would have really been even more enjoyable, IMHO.
Comments
1. Was this your first time of reading or a reread?
2. Did you enjoy it?
3. Was the "willing suspension of disbelief" hard for you - which elements of the book were particularly hard? - or did the story carry you along?
4. Were there particular characters that you liked and others that you disliked?
5. "I want more octopus and less insufferable man-child" - Abby Kincanon. Do you agree?
6. Anything else you would like to discuss?
Please do say why.
First time, after it was recommended on Ship!
2. Did you enjoy it?
Yes, very much.
3. Was the "willing suspension of disbelief" hard for you - which elements of the book were particularly hard? - or did the story carry you along?
I found the octopus very believable. I had a hard time with the "insufferable man-child," probably due to too much exposure in real life. I mean, I've seen (and lived with) people like that, long ago, and for whatever weird psychological reason, it makes me have trouble believing it now when it goes on at such length, and the fuckwittery blocks off every single avenue--he can't even manage to get his transportation straight. There comes a point where the ongoing fuck-up-your-lifeness just makes me want to say, "Get a clue."
I did have a bit of trouble with the ring making it through so many coincidences to finally bring the truth to the surface. But it was mild.
4. Were there particular characters that you liked and others that you disliked?
The octopus was wonderful--not at all sentimental, a kind of detached intelligence that nevertheless managed to learn to care for Tova while remaining ... is "alien" the word I'm looking for? A creature who sees his situation clearly enough to be totting up the days of his captivity, and who regards death and its prodrome ("The consequences") as a calculated risk to take while carrying out his plans. A creature who regards the other creatures in the aquarium as either snacks or dangers, and treats them in ways that are most likely to serve his own ends--and manages to succeed because he judges them so well.
I liked Tova too, especially the bits where she was cooperating with the octopus's unsanctioned trips out of the tank, and preventing the aquarium staff from discovering or preventing them.
5. "I want more octopus and less insufferable man-child" - Abby Kincanon. Do you agree?
Yes, please. I would be glad to see about 500% more octopus. (I do want to know why the staff never figured out that the missing sea creatures had wound up as octopus snacks. It would be the first thing I'd think of, after reading up on the creatures--even without evidence that the octopus was taking nightly strolls.)
6. Anything else you would like to discuss?
I want to know where the mother of the "man-child" is. Since she's apparently alive, and theoretically reachable, I kept expecting her to turn up, if only in an email or something. She could, after all, testify to the paternity stuff. But she doesn't. While that is the kind of loose end that happens all the time in real life, the rest of this novel ties things up so neatly that I wasn't expecting this to go un-tied.
Answers to questions:
1. Yes, first time reading it. It's not something I would normally go for.
2. Yes, I did enjoy it.
3. The only part where my 'willing suspension of disbelief' was strained was when I was asked to believe that all the insufferable man-child's friends and relations would go on forgiving him. As for the rest of it... what can I say, I read murder mysteries. Now there's a genre that really requires suspension of disbelief.
4. I liked all of the characters with the possible exception of the man-child, but my favourite was the octopus. Of course.
5. Having said that, I am not sure the book would have worked so well with more cephalopod. There are only so many things you can say about an octopus that likes to get out of his tank and help himself to midnight snacks, even one who is trying to reunite his best friend with a long-lost member of her family.
6. I really liked the ending. I thought for a while it was going to be 'Tova changes her mind about selling her house' but what the author did was better. Time for her to let go of some things, but not everything, and to move on to others.
I read it some months ago for my real life book group and have not reread it for the discussion.
2. Did you enjoy it?
Yes I did.
3. Was the "willing suspension of disbelief" hard for you - which elements of the book were particularly hard? - or did the story carry you along?
The story carried me along. Once I accepted that Marcellus really was that intelligent (could read, etc) the rest of it was believable for me.
4. Were there particular characters that you liked and others that you disliked?
Marcellus and Tova were my favourites - my heart ached for Tova and the loss and uncertainty she lived with for so many years - and Cameron tried my patience sorely. I speed-read some of the bits about him.
5. "I want more octopus and less insufferable man-child" - Abby Kincanon. Do you agree?
Yes. I enjoyed the passages about and by Marcellus the best of them all.
6. Anything else you would like to discuss?
So as I said, I didn't reread this for the discussion so some of the details are hazy in my mind. I remember being very satisfied by the ending, on everyone's behalf, but can someone remind me the details of exactly how Tova realised Cameron was her grandson? I know it was from the high school ring that Cameron had (which his mother had told him belonged to his father and was engraved with Erik's initials) but did Cameron show her the ring? I have a feeling Marcellus was involved in that somehow?
I also would like to know what happened to Cameron's mother Daphne; wasn't there some hint at the end of the book that her sister Jeanne was going to try to find her...?
And at the end Marcellus goes back to the ocean, is that right? Was it Tova who did that?
Tova found Marcellus almost dead on the aquarium floor, managed to get him into her mop bucket and wheeled him back to the ocean. I did like that bit, even though Marcellus only has a few days left to live by then.
It was my first time reading it.
2. Did you enjoy it?
Immensely.
3. Was the "willing suspension of disbelief" hard for you - which elements of the book were particularly hard? - or did the story carry you along?
I found the octopus quite believable. We had just the right of dialogue from his point of view. I think much more might have been too much and pushed the willing suspension. I found all of the coincidences to be something that was a little more difficult to believe.
4. Were there particular characters that you liked and others that you disliked?
5. "I want more octopus and less insufferable man-child" - Abby Kincanon. Do you agree?
I disagree although I may be the first male to post on the book. I can relate to Cameron in some ways. Many of my years in grad school were aimless culminating in the intelligent decision to withdraw from my doctoral studies. My early thirties as I was establishing my career in pse student services were ones in which I did not always make sound judgements and almost self-sabotaged my career. I also grew up in a working class neighbourhood with many Cameron’s and have much empathy for them.
6. Anything else you would like to discuss?
Despite the fact the coincidences were many, the plot aspect of Tova and Cameron learning of their relationship and Cameron finally becoming comfortable in his skin and experiencing different types of love and relationships was touching to me.
1. Was this your first time of reading or a reread? First time
2. Did you enjoy it? Yes, very much
3. Was the "willing suspension of disbelief" hard for you - which elements of the book were particularly hard? - or did the story carry you along?
I found the story carried me along. Sure the coincidence of Cameron being Tove’s grandson is a bit much, but was emotionally satisfying. Nor am I sure that a Great Pacific Octopus can read, but so what?
4. Were there particular characters that you liked and others that you disliked?
Marcellus was a great character, self-aware, clever, and while seeing his neighbours as food, nonetheless has concern for Tove and even Cameron. I liked that he ended up, even if briefly, in the ocean – and the picture of Tove wheeling him in a bucket is great. Tove is a stoic figure, she is mourning her husband and also the disappearance and assumed drowning of her son 30 years earlier; she has a group of friends and pride in her Scandinavian heritage – and she realises Marcellus’ intelligence and connives at his wanderings around the aquarium after dark. (I think that there is at the end of the book and acknowledgement that the Terry at least realised Marcellus was eating his neighbours).
5. "I want more octopus and less insufferable man-child" - Abby Kincanon. Do you agree?
I was less irritated, perhaps, by Cameron’s bumbling incompetence than others, but I did keep visualising him as a teenager (which is how he behaves) rather than a 30 yr-old. If anyone can make him pull himself together it’s Tove. I think I agree with others that, delightful as Marcellus is, more octopus might have backfired – better to be wanting more.
Ah, yes. Thank you.
First time of reading. I only read it because so many people on the Ship mentioned it.
2. Did you enjoy it?
Yes, though I didn't love it. I found it a perfectly pleasant read. My husband, on the other hand, who I thought would enjoy it more being far more romantic than me, hated it with a passion and only managed a chapter or two.
3. Was the "willing suspension of disbelief" hard for you - which elements of the book were particularly hard? - or did the story carry you along?
I found it pretty easy to suspend belief, though I thought an octopus being able to see a family resemblance that humans missed was stretching it a bit.
4. Were there particular characters that you liked and others that you disliked?
I liked Tova, she seemed worthy of a much more serious book about grief. I also liked her relationship with her knit-wit friends, and the choices you have to make as you age.
5. "I want more octopus and less insufferable man-child" - Abby Kincanon. Do you agree?Cameron was one of those sort of characters you want to shake and point out what an idiot they are being. I'm glad he had a chance to grow up, unlike Erik. However I thought there was just enough of him and the octopus in the book and they balanced each other quite well.
6. Anything else you would like to discuss?
Firstly I think I must be pretty hard hearted as it didn't move me at all, I felt it was all going to pan out in the way it did. Secondly I thought the reveal as to what actually happened to Erik was rather far fetched in that Avery just happened to me Cameron's mum. It would have been better if the mum had made an appearance even if she'd then disappeared again.
1. Was this your first time of reading or a reread?
This was my first time reading.
2. Did you enjoy it?
I enjoyed the book. I knew it would have a happy ending for the humans and a bitter sweet one for Marcellus. My parents loved the documentary [iMy Octopus Teacher[/i], but told me the sad ending so I never watched it as I knew it would be too sad for me. I couldn't feel quite as much for a fictional octopus.
3. Was the "willing suspension of disbelief" hard for you - which elements of the book were particularly hard? - or did the story carry you along?
The story carried me along, but I couldn't quite find Marcellus to be a real octopus. I was reading Connie Willis' Road to Roswell at the same time and found myself comparing Indy the alien to Marcellus and found the alien more realistic and myself more invested in his life. Maybe because I knew Marcellus was going to die.
I once read an article on real life octopuses who lived in aquariums and performed similar hijinks as Marcellus and found it fascinating how intelligent they are. I'm guessing similar stories of real life octopuses inspired the novel.
4. Were there particular characters that you liked and others that you disliked?
I liked Tova's friends - the knitwits and Ethan - and am glad she was able to recognise how much they cared for her by the end. She seemed to have walls up due to her grief. I found it hard to understand why Tova abandoned Cat when she moved - it would have made more sense if he was spooked by the movers and went and hid and only turned up when the new owners had moved in.
5. "I want more octopus and less insufferable man-child" - Abby Kincanon. Do you agree?
It was understandable that Cameron was the way he was. However, his transformation into a responsible adult was too rushed for me, and he acted immature for too much of the novel. I expected his bank of knowledge would have extended to marine life, leading to a successful job at the aquarium, a shared/equal relationship with Marcellus and Tova and then going back to study to gain a relevant degree. Then maybe meeting a new or potential girlfriend, but I don't think a romantic relationship was necessary to the storyline. He seemed to really dislike construction work so I was surprised he went back to that.
Also it annoyed me that Avery fell for him so fast, particularly as any serious partner needed to be mature enough to be a stepfather. I guess Cameron had Erik's charm, because I didn't get the impression he was particularly good looking or that he took care of himself.
6. Anything else you would like to discuss?
A lot of this book defied my predictions. I thought Erik may have been murdered during a robbery of the toll booth or by an ex-boyfriend of Daphne. And Daphne ran off and had the problems she did due to her indirect involvement. Like others I was surprised Daphne didn't turn up or at least be found in the book.
I didn't find the suspension of disbelief difficult -- I read a lot of novels that are fantasy or fantasy-adjacent, so the octopus point of view was not a stretch for me, though I wasn't entirely sure everything Marcellus was able to do, was consistent within the world of the story.
I'm probably in the minority in that I really liked Cameron's character -- I'm kind of a sucker for an insufferable man-child although I do try to keep that more to fiction than to real life (not so when I was young, sadly ... I would have fallen instantly for a Cameron in my 20s, and sometimes did). I definitely could have used more insufferable man-child and less octopus -- I didn't find Marcellus as engaging a character as most readers seem to, though I did appreciate the unique octopus perspective and voice.
Tova was the heart of the story for me; I liked the way she was sort of prickly and difficult even with the people she cared about, and how the gradual changes in her character did not always follow predictable paths. The bonds among her group of friends and the changes that age was bringing to them felt poignant and believable, and made me think about where I am my group of close friends will be in another 10 years or so.
First time of reading, several months ago. I did not re-read.
2. Did you enjoy it?
Yes, which surprised me, I am not usually a big fan of fiction..
3. Was the "willing suspension of disbelief" hard for you - which elements of the book were particularly hard? - or did the story carry you along?
The octopus was a bit smarter, but they are smart enough in real life that I could stretch my mind to believe it.
4. Were there particular characters that you liked and others that you disliked?
I liked Tova a lot, and I felt she would be someone I would like as a friend. Cameron just made me tired.
5. "I want more octopus and less insufferable man-child" - Abby Kincanon. Do you agree?
Totally.
6. Anything else you would like to discuss? No
1. Was this your first time of reading or a reread?
This was a reread.
2. Did you enjoy it?
Very much! I thought that the second read wouldn't be as enjoyable as the first was, but this time, I was able to notice some details I missed in the first reading.
3. Was the "willing suspension of disbelief" hard for you - which elements of the book were particularly hard? - or did the story carry you along?
The books I read are mostly fiction, so my suspension of disbelief is almost automatic. Like @Graven Image, I will never eat octopus again. The one time I tried, I didn't like it, anyway.
4. Were there particular characters that you liked and others that you disliked?
Most of the characters I liked a lot. Cameron was such a brat until the end when he seemed to finally grow up a bit!
5. "I want more octopus and less insufferable man-child" - Abby Kincanon. Do you agree?
More octopus would have really been even more enjoyable, IMHO.