It is a profound exploration of grief-how we find ourselves lost, how we search for reason, how we sacrifice ourselves for our loved ones, all to avoid paying the octopus. “Steven Rowley’s touching, fresh, energetic novel isn’t simply another ‘boy and his dog’ story. In generous helpings of bittersweet humanity, Rowley has written an immensely poignant and touchingly relatable tale that readers (particularly animal lovers) will love.” The intimacy of pet ownership is sweetly suffused throughout this heartwarming autobiographical fiction.

“Sensitive, hilarious, and emotionally rewarding. And grab a tissue: THERE! WILL! BE! EYE! RAIN!” “Startlingly imaginative.‘Lily and the Octopus’ is a love story 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. As Lily might say, ‘YOU! MUST! READ! THIS! BOOK!’” “ Lily and the Octopus is the dog book you must read this summer…. Reading this heart-wrenching but ultimately breathtaking novel was a very profound experience….

And grab a tissue: “THERE! WILL! BE! EYE! RAIN!” (New York Newsday). “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. Remember the last book you told someone they had to read? Lily and the Octopus is the next one. 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. 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. When Lily’s health is compromised, Ted vows to save her by any means necessary. 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. 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).

Lily and the octopus