Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley

Book Description

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.

Review

Grief can sneak up on you in the shape of a story, or in this case, an octopus. I picked up Lily and the Octopus expecting a quirky tale about a man and his dog. Instead, I found myself ugly-crying at midnight, clutching a pillow, while my heart simultaneously broke and healed.

Steven Rowley’s debut is about Ted, a writer who loves his dog more than anything. Sound familiar?

When Ted discovers the “octopus” growing on Lily’s head (a metaphor that’s equal parts whimsical and devastating) the story turns into a surreal, emotional odyssey. Rowley’s writing moves effortlessly between absurd humor and piercing honesty, often in the same paragraph. One moment Ted is arguing with Lily about celebrity crushes, and the next, he’s confronting the unbearable truth that even love can’t save the ones we cherish most.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Michael Urie. The experience was exceptional. Urie’s performance brings Ted’s anxious, tender heart vividly to life. It felt less like a narration and more like listening to a friend confessing their heartbreak.

Maybe this book hit me so hard because I’ve had a year shaped by loss. Losing Taro left me thinking often about the ways love reshapes us even after our last goodbye.

Fair warning, Lily and the Octopus doesn’t offer easy comfort. But it sits beside you in the pain. The story will make you laugh to remind you that grief is love without a place to go.

Rowley’s novel is magical and merciless, ridiculous and real. If you’ve ever loved a dog—or anyone—so much that losing them cracked you open, this story will break your heart in the best of ways.

Content Warning

Alcohol, Animal death, Cancer, Death, Drug use, Infidelity, Injury, Isolation, Grief, LBGT+ themes, Loneliness, Medical content (mild), Mental illness, Profanity (occasional), Terminal illness

The header photo is a composite image. Base image by Stephanie Harlacher on Unsplash