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Carolyn's Reviews > Lily and the Octopus
Lily and the Octopus
by
by
Carolyn's review
bookshelves: animal-stories, netgalley, relationships, grief-and-loss, debut
Feb 23, 2016
bookshelves: animal-stories, netgalley, relationships, grief-and-loss, debut
Ted Flask is a 42 year old writer who is recovering from a breakup with his longtime partner. He is lonely and isolated but his best friend Lily, a 12y old dachshund makes his life worth living. He and Lily share everything, good times and bad, pizza and monopoly nights, icecream and movies. When Ted discovers that Lily has an 'octopus' growing on her head he realises the time he has left with Lily may be cut all too short.
This is one for dog lovers and anyone who has had to part with an aging furry friend. Ted reminisces about choosing Lily as a puppy and seeing the wonders of the world through her eyes and remembers their lives together. He realises that she taught him so much about how to enjoy life and love without reserve. The book is often funny as Ted navigates his way through the process of saying goodbye to his beloved dog. He has an incompetent psychiatrist and a vet he doesn't trust. Although Ted borders on obsessive at times, Lily is very cute and her voice comes through clearly in the novel as Ted hears her through her excited body language and translates it for us in CAPITAL! LETTERS! such as the time she first gets to taste icecream "THAT! IS! AMAZING! WE! MUST! HAVE! THIS! TO! LICK! EVERY! SINGLE! DAY!"
Of course if you read this you must realise that there will be a sad chapter towards the end of the book and I would suggest you don't embarrass yourself by reading it on public transport (as I did) unless you are exceptionally unemotional.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher Simon and Schuster for a digital copy to read and review
This is one for dog lovers and anyone who has had to part with an aging furry friend. Ted reminisces about choosing Lily as a puppy and seeing the wonders of the world through her eyes and remembers their lives together. He realises that she taught him so much about how to enjoy life and love without reserve. The book is often funny as Ted navigates his way through the process of saying goodbye to his beloved dog. He has an incompetent psychiatrist and a vet he doesn't trust. Although Ted borders on obsessive at times, Lily is very cute and her voice comes through clearly in the novel as Ted hears her through her excited body language and translates it for us in CAPITAL! LETTERS! such as the time she first gets to taste icecream "THAT! IS! AMAZING! WE! MUST! HAVE! THIS! TO! LICK! EVERY! SINGLE! DAY!"
Of course if you read this you must realise that there will be a sad chapter towards the end of the book and I would suggest you don't embarrass yourself by reading it on public transport (as I did) unless you are exceptionally unemotional.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher Simon and Schuster for a digital copy to read and review
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Reading Progress
February 23, 2016
– Shelved
February 23, 2016
– Shelved as:
owned-tbr
May 14, 2016
– Shelved as:
to-read
May 18, 2016
–
Started Reading
May 20, 2016
–
Finished Reading
May 21, 2016
– Shelved as:
animal-stories
May 21, 2016
– Shelved as:
netgalley
May 21, 2016
– Shelved as:
relationships
May 21, 2016
– Shelved as:
grief-and-loss
May 21, 2016
– Shelved as:
debut
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Brenda
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rated it 3 stars
May 21, 2016 02:20AM
You managed to read it after another try then? Good review!
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Sounds like a good book. I had a 'Laddie' (cat) with an octopus, saying goodbye was heartbreaking.
Took me three attempts to get into it Brenda! I really didn't warm to Ted initially. He just seemed like a self obsessed gay man who was wallowing in a pool of self absorbed misery, but once he started reminiscing about Lily I felt sympathy for his love for her and the pain he was going to have to endure in losing her. I think all pet owners have been there Bette. They really do become part of the family and you'd never want to not have had their love and compaionship to spare yourself the pain, but it is so hard to say goodbye.
I felt the same about Ted Carolyn - extremely self absorbed!
I must say, Ted got on my nerves at times and I wanted to slap him.
A slap might have done him good Bianca!
Brenda wrote: "A slap might have done him good Bianca!"Lol! I agree Bianca and Brenda. Someone should have slapped him and told him to get a grip.
Wow, I had the totally opposite experience, especially while reading the very first chapter. The humor and satire grabbed me immediately. Oh well, to each his own.We can't all love the same books. Great review.
Yes indeed Toni! I did warm more to Ted as the book progressed and found him less annoying. His genuine love for his dog was very touching and I did enjoy the humour in the writing
Great insights, Carolyn! I really want to read this but it is too soon since I lost my huge rescue dog to cancer last summer. His ashes are in an urn on the bookshelf next to my bed, and when I close my eyes at night (the other critters snuggled up next to us), my beautiful memories of Riley are the last thing I think of and I say thank you before I go to sleep. Rescue animals are the ones who save us humans.
