In this astonishing book from the author of the bestselling memoir, The Good Good Pig, Sy Montgomery explores the emotional and physical world of the octopus—a surprisingly complex, intelligent, and spirited creature—and the remarkable connections it makes with humans.
The intelligence of dogs, birds, and chimpanzees was only recently accepted by scientists, who now are establishing the intelligence of the octopus, watching them solve problems and deciphering the meaning of their color-changing camouflage techniques. Montgomery chronicles this growing scientific appreciation of the octopus, but also tells a love story. By turns funny, entertaining, touching, and profound, The Soul of an Octopus ultimately reveals what octopuses can teach us about the nature and consciousness of the mind.
I just finished reading The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery, in my continuing effort to find and enjoy relaxing books and media to help me unwind more effectively. This book ended up being a worthy follow-up to The Forest Unseen, and a truly fascinating adventure.
I've always been mildly interested in octopus intelligence, having enjoyed various documentaries about their brainpower and having particularly fond memories of my time at the New England Aquarium. I was thrilled to learn that this book mostly takes place at the Aquarium, and my reading of it was illuminated with a strong nostalgia as a result. Previously, my interest was more scientific; how smart are they? what are their capabilities? Is communication possible? Montgomery's memoir confronted their intelligence from a different, perhaps more human angle: what they can teach us about ourselves.
Her descriptions of the interactions with the octopuses in her time--from Octavia to Athena to Karma to Kali--were absolutely riveting. I could almost feel the suckers on my own skin as she describes the gentle but firm touch of their many arms, somehow strong enough to lift thousands of pounds but pliable and dextrous enough to explore the tiniest of crevices. I shared her shiver as she gazed into the eyes of her cephalopod companions, so familiar yet simultaneously so alien.
More so than the other books I read as part of this journey, The Soul of an Octopus caused me to reflect in ways I wasn't expecting. Whether that reflection was on the futility of trying to know something so alien--and how that futility extends to how we get to know each other--or on the story of Montgomery's friends and their lives, interweaved so delicately with the primary storyline like the arms of an octopus, I found both the events and their retelling deeply moving.
Overall, this book was outstanding and gave me a very similar vibe to the other two. I was incredibly pleased and surprised to see that the first book cited in the bibliography of The Soul of an Octopus was none other than The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating, a satisfying confirmation of the similarity between these two stories and their impact on me. If you can pick up The Soul of an Octopus, I highly recommend it, and I will be sure to check out Montgomery's other books.
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| The cover of The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery. |
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