Contemporary fiction · Similar reads
Books like Remarkably Bright Creatures
The best books like Remarkably Bright Creatures are The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness, The Paper Palace, and Normal People. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt is about grief and loss, connection across difference, animal intelligence. If that's what drew you in, here are 12 books that share its DNA — each summarized on Superbook, and ready to chat with in the app.
- The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness
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The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness
Sy Montgomery · Science
Sy Montgomery is a naturalist and author who began spending time at the New England Aquarium to get to know a giant Pacific octopus named Athena.
A kindred contemporary fiction read.
Read the summary → - The Paper Palace
02
Miranda Cowley Heller · Literary fiction
On a single morning in Cape Cod, fifty-year-old Elle Bishop faces a decision.
Both dig into family secrets.
Read the summary → - Normal People
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Sally Rooney · Literary fiction
Normal People follows Connell and Marianne from their small-town Irish secondary school through their years at Trinity College Dublin.
A kindred contemporary fiction read.
Read the summary → - The Year of Magical Thinking
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Joan Didion · Memoir
Joan Didion's account of the year following the sudden death of her husband, the writer John Gregory Dunne, is the most rigorous and unflinching memoir of grief in American literature.
A kindred contemporary fiction read.
Read the summary → - Conversations with Friends
05
Sally Rooney · Literary fiction
Conversations with Friends is told by Frances, a twenty-one-year-old Dublin student who performs spoken-word poetry with her best friend and ex-girlfriend Bobbi.
A kindred contemporary fiction read.
Read the summary → - Beach Read
06
Emily Henry · Contemporary fiction
January Andrews is a romance novelist who has completely lost faith in love after discovering her late father had a secret mistress for years.
Both dig into family secrets.
Read the summary → - Firefly Lane
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Kristin Hannah · Contemporary fiction
Tully Hart and Kate Mularkey meet in the summer of 1974 as fourteen-year-olds on Firefly Lane in rural Washington State, and their friendship spans three decades — through high school, college, careers in television journalism, marriages, and heartbreak.
Both dig into grief and loss.
Read the summary → - Reminders of Him
08
Colleen Hoover · Contemporary fiction
Kenna Rowan is released from prison after serving five years for a drunk driving accident that killed her boyfriend Scotty.
Both dig into grief and loss.
Read the summary → - The Reading List
09
Sara Nisha Adams · Contemporary fiction
Widower Mukesh has withdrawn from the world since his wife's death, eating the same meals alone, avoiding the extended family and community he once shared with her.
Both dig into grief and loss.
Read the summary → - Happy Place
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Emily Henry · Romance
Harriet and Wyn were the couple everyone else wanted to be.
Both dig into grief and loss.
Read the summary → - Interpreter of Maladies
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Jhumpa Lahiri · Short stories
Interpreter of Maladies is Jhumpa Lahiri's debut short story collection, winner of the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
Both dig into grief and loss.
Read the summary → - Lincoln in the Bardo
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George Saunders · Literary fiction
Lincoln in the Bardo takes place over a single night in February 1862, when President Abraham Lincoln visits the crypt where his eleven-year-old son Willie has just been buried.
Both dig into grief and loss.
Read the summary →
Books like Remarkably Bright Creatures: quick answers
What are the best books like Remarkably Bright Creatures?
The best books like Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt are The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery, The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller, Normal People by Sally Rooney, The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion, Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney, plus 7 more below. Each was chosen for themes it shares with Remarkably Bright Creatures, such as grief and loss, connection across difference, animal intelligence.
What should I read after Remarkably Bright Creatures?
A natural next read after Remarkably Bright Creatures is The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery. A kindred contemporary fiction read. Other strong choices are The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller, Normal People by Sally Rooney, The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion.
What books are similar to Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt?
Remarkably Bright Creatures centers on grief and loss, connection across difference, animal intelligence. Books with a similar feel include The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery, The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller, Normal People by Sally Rooney, The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion, Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney, Beach Read by Emily Henry — all free to read and chat with on Superbook.
