Lily and the Octopus
A national bestseller combining the emotional depth of The Art of Racing in the Rain with the magical spirit of The Life of Pi, “Lily and the Octopus is the dog book you must read this summer” (The Washington Post).
Ted—a gay, single, struggling writer is stuck: unable to open himself up to intimacy except through the steadfast companionship of Lily, his elderly dachshund. When Lily’s health is compromised, Ted vows to save her by any means necessary. By turns hilarious and poignant, an adventure with spins into magic realism and beautifully evoked truths of loss and longing, Lily and the Octopus reminds us how it feels to love fiercely, how difficult it can be to let go, and how the fight for those we love is the greatest fight of all.
Introducing a dazzling and completely original new voice in fiction and an unforgettable hound that will break your heart—and put it back together again. Remember the last book you told someone they had to read? Lily and the Octopus is the next one. “Startlingly imaginative...this love story is sure to assert its place in the canine lit pack...Be prepared for outright laughs and searing or silly moments of canine and human recognition. And grab a tissue: “THERE! WILL! BE! EYE! RAIN!” (New York Newsday).
Ted—a gay, single, struggling writer is stuck: unable to open himself up to intimacy except through the steadfast companionship of Lily, his elderly dachshund. When Lily’s health is compromised, Ted vows to save her by any means necessary. By turns hilarious and poignant, an adventure with spins into magic realism and beautifully evoked truths of loss and longing, Lily and the Octopus reminds us how it feels to love fiercely, how difficult it can be to let go, and how the fight for those we love is the greatest fight of all.
Introducing a dazzling and completely original new voice in fiction and an unforgettable hound that will break your heart—and put it back together again. Remember the last book you told someone they had to read? Lily and the Octopus is the next one. “Startlingly imaginative...this love story is sure to assert its place in the canine lit pack...Be prepared for outright laughs and searing or silly moments of canine and human recognition. And grab a tissue: “THERE! WILL! BE! EYE! RAIN!” (New York Newsday).
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Community Reviews
***Plot Spoiler*** (sort of, it's not like you don't KNOW this is coming)
Just couldn't. I have a daschund - in fact, this is my second. I hated, absolutely hated his portrayal of Lily. It was ridiculous...and I talk to my dog all the time - I talk to all dogs. But this development of her talking back...just, no.
And it's a shame, because the opening line was AWESOME:
“It’s Thursday the first time I see it. I know that it’s Thursday because Thursday nights are the nights my dog, Lily, and I set aside to talk about boys we think are cute. She’s twelve in actual years, which is eighty-four in dog years. I’m forty-two, which is two hundred and ninety-four in dog years—but like a really young two hundred and ninety-four, because I’m in pretty good shape and a lot of people tell me I could pass for two hundred and thirty-eight, which is actually thirty-four.”
I was like yes - this guy, me, we're the same....WAIT...oh no, we're not!
LILY! IS! EMBARRASSED! BY! THIS! LUDICROUS! PRESENTATION! OF! A! DOG! Want to see a decent presentation of a talking dog - check out "A Dog's Purpose" by W. Bruce Cameron. That's much better.
Plot spoiler - dog has a tumor, it totally sucks - I mean SUCKS! - and it's on her head. It's NOT an octopus (that was annoying, too...you are a grown man - A GROWN MAN - stop calling it an octopus. That is what we tell little children too young to understand anything.) At first I could deal with this "octopus" delusion, but when he called his friend Trent's tumor an octopus as well, I decided Ted was in fact, delusional. Honestly, I kept waiting for him to wake up in therapy - Jenny wasn't doing much for him.
I DNFed this book - well, I skipped the middle, jumped to the end, where sadly, the dog dies. The writing is contrived and difficult to read, it elicited no sympathy for Ted - except that he lost his dog and I wouldn't withhold sympathy from ANYONE for a tragedy such as this, even a whiner like Ted. I really wanted to rescue Lily from this crazy man that though his dog was his life partner.
I have no doubt that there could come a day where I will be surrounded by dogs - I call this Heaven...and even there, I don't think the dogs play monopoly.
I hate giving bad reviews - I really really really really do...but I'm shocked at the Goodreads community on this one...this was not a well-written good, it's was barely a story. Dog has tumor, owner is sad, dog dies. That's the book folks. That's the book.
Just couldn't. I have a daschund - in fact, this is my second. I hated, absolutely hated his portrayal of Lily. It was ridiculous...and I talk to my dog all the time - I talk to all dogs. But this development of her talking back...just, no.
And it's a shame, because the opening line was AWESOME:
“It’s Thursday the first time I see it. I know that it’s Thursday because Thursday nights are the nights my dog, Lily, and I set aside to talk about boys we think are cute. She’s twelve in actual years, which is eighty-four in dog years. I’m forty-two, which is two hundred and ninety-four in dog years—but like a really young two hundred and ninety-four, because I’m in pretty good shape and a lot of people tell me I could pass for two hundred and thirty-eight, which is actually thirty-four.”
I was like yes - this guy, me, we're the same....WAIT...oh no, we're not!
LILY! IS! EMBARRASSED! BY! THIS! LUDICROUS! PRESENTATION! OF! A! DOG! Want to see a decent presentation of a talking dog - check out "A Dog's Purpose" by W. Bruce Cameron. That's much better.
Plot spoiler - dog has a tumor, it totally sucks - I mean SUCKS! - and it's on her head. It's NOT an octopus (that was annoying, too...you are a grown man - A GROWN MAN - stop calling it an octopus. That is what we tell little children too young to understand anything.) At first I could deal with this "octopus" delusion, but when he called his friend Trent's tumor an octopus as well, I decided Ted was in fact, delusional. Honestly, I kept waiting for him to wake up in therapy - Jenny wasn't doing much for him.
I DNFed this book - well, I skipped the middle, jumped to the end, where sadly, the dog dies. The writing is contrived and difficult to read, it elicited no sympathy for Ted - except that he lost his dog and I wouldn't withhold sympathy from ANYONE for a tragedy such as this, even a whiner like Ted. I really wanted to rescue Lily from this crazy man that though his dog was his life partner.
I have no doubt that there could come a day where I will be surrounded by dogs - I call this Heaven...and even there, I don't think the dogs play monopoly.
I hate giving bad reviews - I really really really really do...but I'm shocked at the Goodreads community on this one...this was not a well-written good, it's was barely a story. Dog has tumor, owner is sad, dog dies. That's the book folks. That's the book.
Be prepared to cry from page 1. Oof.
I didn't think I'd have to worry about the crying until later in the book, so I listened to it on my way to a work event. Yeaaaah. I showed up with puffy eyes and smeared mascara.
The book is heartfelt and an accurate depiction of the love we feel for our pets. It was a *strong* 4.5 stars, but there towards the end I was pulled out of the story due to a strange turn where I wasn't sure (and am still not) if it was a dream or the real life of our narrator.
All in all, wonderful story...esp. if you're in the need of a good, hard cry.
I didn't think I'd have to worry about the crying until later in the book, so I listened to it on my way to a work event. Yeaaaah. I showed up with puffy eyes and smeared mascara.
The book is heartfelt and an accurate depiction of the love we feel for our pets. It was a *strong* 4.5 stars, but there towards the end I was pulled out of the story due to a strange turn where I wasn't sure (and am still not) if it was a dream or the real life of our narrator.
All in all, wonderful story...esp. if you're in the need of a good, hard cry.
Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley is a heartwarming and poignant tale that will resonate with readers who appreciate stories about the transformative power of non-romantic relationships, the complexities of grief, and the unwavering bonds between humans and animals, making it a must-read for fans of character-driven fiction and those who cherish stories that explore the depths of the human experience.
What a sweet book about love, life, and heartbreak. It made me laugh out loud and it made me cry, but left me very hopeful with the encouragement to live life to its fullest.
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