Lily and the Octopus
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4.4 • 25 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
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).
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
This touching novel takes you on a magical adventure through love and grief. When Ted’s 12-year-old dachshund, Lily, becomes lethargic, the vet confirms that she has a tumor—which, in this quirky world of magical realism, is actually an unusually sassy octopus. Steven Rowley’s offbeat writing hilariously captures a dog’s interior monologue, from rediscovering her favorite ball to her general excitement about everything in life, and the absurdity of Ted’s conversations with both Lily and the octopus provide comic relief. A relatable story about the heartbreaking reality of loss, Lily and the Octopus reminds us that creating beautiful memories together is the best way to balance out our fears of mortality.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Screenwriter Rowley's sensitive, hilarious, and emotionally rewarding debut novel explores the effect that pets can have on human lives. Teddy is unhappily single in L.A. In between sessions with his therapist and dates with men he meets online, it is his beloved 12-year-old dachshund, Lily, who occupies his heart. Curiously, Teddy is able to communicate with Lily, with whom he debates the attractiveness of male celebrities and plays board games. Distressingly, he is also able to communicate with the "octopus" attached to the little dog's head, which is soon revealed to be a metaphor for Lily's lethal cranial tumor. Complicating matters is the increasing prevalence of Lily's seizures and the looming inevitability of her demise. The intimacy of pet ownership is sweetly suffused throughout this heartwarming autobiographical fiction, originally written as self-therapy for the author's own grief. In generous helpings of bittersweet humanity, Rowley has written an immensely poignant and touchingly relatable tale that readers (particularly animal lovers) will love.
Customer Reviews
Not very good
This book comes nowhere close to the depth that is found in the art of racing in the rain. It feels contrived at best trying to play on the heart strings of pet owners while stealing ideas from other good books. Don’t read.