Fall for the Soul of an Octopus


Sy Montgomery, about a third of the way into The Soul of an Octopus describes touching one of the creatures as “an uplink to universal consciousness…of sharing an intelligence that animates and organizes all life.” This experience of the universal consciousness seems to drip off the pages of Montgomery’s work, letting us feel that we are all as connected as she to the “infinite, eternal ocean of intelligent energy” she explores.

Montgomery introduces us to several octopuses, which she met at the New England Aquarium in Boston while preparing to write the book. She writes about the mollusks with such tenderness, revealing their different personalities, that each becomes a compelling character in the book. We are invested in each creature by the time Montgomery sprinkles the science into the pages, allowing us to care and also learn. 

The book is filled with Montgomery’s curiosity, and it is infectious. Pages overflow with octopuses escaping their tanks, flowing out of larger spaces into tiny ones. They escape, they suck human skin, they pull people into their tanks, they playfully soak them, and each description makes a reader feel there with Montgomery. When we read of two octopuses mating on Valentine’s Day at the Seattle Aquarium as part of an annual event meant to draw visitors to the venue, we feel like a part of the fascinated crowd.

With so much still to understand about the cephalopods’ consciousness, The Soul of an Octopus does a wonderful job of making us wonder what else we can learn about the creatures, and what else they can teach us about ourselves and the rest of the world.

Thanks to my high school buddy Ann Brady for suggesting The Soul of an Octopus. It made me want to scuba dive, touch octopuses, and go to an aquarium. I loved it. It was easily one of my favorite reads this year.

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