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 … 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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For anyone who has a beloved pet and delt with their illness . The author is very comical especially early in the book.
Dog stories are my favorites
Great book! Who knew that a man’s relationship with his dog could be so — well, so not what you’d think!
A must read for anyone who has lost a beloved fur baby. Lovingly written…make sure you have a new box of Kleenex!!
I read this right after my daughter had to make the difficult decision to stop further cancer treatment for her Husky and spare him further pain. She was so heartbroken. I did not know what to say to ease her pain. I read this book and recommended to her. Very inspirational.
I once read an interview with Gregg Allman in which he said that when you buy a dog you’re buying a lot of fun, but you’re also buying a piece of heartache.
That sums up this story, but what makes it unique is the way it’s told – there’s a lot going on in Ted’s mind as he deals with the inevitable, and you may find yourself wondering how much is real and how much is imaginary (I did, and even after finishing the book I’m still not sure). In the end, it doesn’t matter – take it for what is, a tale well done.
The author based the story on his own experience with his own Lilly, and while their relationship is one that any pet owner can identify with, the story is so sweet, funny, loving, poignant, and ultimately triumphant that anyone can enjoy it.
Highly recommended.
Like books about dogs. Gave me some insight into a gay persons life.
Enjoyed it to a point, but found it disappointing in that it was long and somewhat tedious to read. However it had its moments of humor which was appreciated.
This was certainly a different read. Quirky and at times ridiculous, but overall entertaining. Ted is…different. Sometimes he seems highly self-aware and completely logical, and at others he’s childish and acts borderline psychotic. His love for Lily is palpable and endearing though. The author was even able to get a few tears out of me, an admirable feat indeed! Overall it was an interesting book, and I would recommend for those who enjoy ridiculous internal monologues and love their pets.
I’m just going to say it, I hated this book. I can’t even say it was because the book was quirky, or because it is a dog book. Somehow for me, this book really missed the mark. But then again, I didn’t pick this book, it was part of one of my book club.
Lily and the Octopus is the story of a man, Ted, a pretty self-absorbed man, and well, his dog, Lily, his sick dachshund. The focus is really on the tumor on the side of Lily’s head and how it affects Ted. This is of course to the point where he is calling the tumor and seeing the tumor as an octopus.
My biggest pet-peeve with this book was the idea of this animated tumor-octopus with its eye and voice, literally fighting, with Ted throughout the book. There was a point in the book where I seriously thought maybe Ted too had an octopus and might be dying. It seriously didn’t make sense.
About a quarter of the way to the end, the book took this weird fantastical turn and I just couldn’t keep up with it. I had to re-read the chapters because it came out of no-where and it really confused me. When the reader is lost and has to re-read what you wrote about three times to understand what’s going on, that’s definitely not a good sign.
What really threw me was Ted’s intimate dating life being thrown into this book so much. Even to the point that it was weighted into Lily’s surgery. I’m not really one for bashing romance in a book, I love romance books and plots, I’m a sucker for romance, but the amount of emotional significant his intimate dating life took on his decisions and Lily’s health was rather shocking to me.
While sitting at my book club and hearing the amount of people who literally wept while reading this book, I had to ask myself if I’m a sociopath. I mean, everyone said they cried at the end of the book. Not me, I was just as numb about this book as that feeling represented the book. Like Rowley wrote in the book:
“Today me will live in the moment, unless it’s unpleasant, in which case me will eat a cookie.”
I eventually found reading this novel unpleasant and decided to go eat not one cookie, but a bag full. This book seriously made me feel numb and rather lonely, but at least I had cookies!
Read more of my review here: https://bit.ly/2AX0lNS
This book started out really good for me, but then it just got kind of silly. In the end I liked the way it circled back and the whole moral of the story.
Could not put this down. Outstanding. Heartbreaking but also realistic. Very original & well written “dog” book. Loved it.
creative take on cancer and the two characters
very loving
well written
really enjoyed, and recommended to many friends