Lily and the Octopus
Lily and the Octopus was selected to be Girly Book Club’s assignment for March.
We begin the book by meeting Ted, a single guy with a dachshund named Lily. Early on in the story, he comes to realize she has a tumor, also known as an Octopus, growing on her head.
Before cracking this book open, I was honestly not looking forward to a reading a story about a dog with a tumor because these stories don’t usually end well!
And about halfway through the book, I nearly called it quits.
The thing that got to me (don’t worry, I won’t spoil anything) was the fact that Ted had conversations with both Lily and the Octopus.
I wasn’t sure if I should accept this as fantasy, or if it was just a man going crazy.
I get we all talk to dogs (guilty!) and there’s nothing worse than feeling helpless when it comes to our pets, but it was just a bit odd to read at times.
Maybe because I knew that Rowley really did have a dog named Lily that passed away from a brain tumor. That’s what I get for doing a few Google searches on the book and the author before reading it.
In the end, I’m glad I read it.
Lily and the Octopus was Steven Rowley’s debut novel, and I’d read his next book. Even though the story didn’t fully hold my attention at times, I continued to read it — and I think it was due to the writing.
If you have read Lily and the Octopus, please share your thoughts in the comments below!
