B&N Reads
5/31/2016
Anyone who has ever loved and lost an animal must read this book, but beware: there will be tears. Dealing with uninspiring dates and endless therapy sessions, Teddy is lonely in L.A., but finds love and companionship with his dachshund, Lily. Their bond extends into the magical realistic, as they communicate in very literal waysbut the “octopus” of the title is a cranial tumor that signals loving Lily's inevitable end. Rowley wrote it while grieving for his own lost pet, and it rings with insight and warmth. Read More
Publishers Weekly
04/11/2016
Screenwriter Rowley’s sensitive, hilarious, and emotionally rewarding debut novel explores the effect that pets can have on human lives. Teddy is unhappily single in L.A. In between sessions with his therapist and dates with men he meets online, it is his beloved 12-year-old dachshund, Lily, who occupies his heart. Curiously, Teddy is able to communicate with Lily, with whom he debates the attractiveness of male celebrities and plays board games. Distressingly, he is also able to communicate with the “octopus” attached to the little dog’s head, which is soon revealed to be a metaphor for Lily’s lethal cranial tumor. Complicating matters is the increasing prevalence of Lily’s seizures and the looming inevitability of her demise. The intimacy of pet ownership is sweetly suffused throughout this heartwarming autobiographical fiction, originally written as self-therapy for the author’s own grief. In generous helpings of bittersweet humanity, Rowley has written an immensely poignant and touchingly relatable tale that readers (particularly animal lovers) will love. Agent: Rob Weisbach, Rob Weisbach Creative Management. (June)
From the Publisher
NATIONAL BESTSELLER
“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.... As Lily might say, ‘YOU! MUST! READ! THIS! BOOK!’”
—The Washington Post
“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. And grab a tissue: THERE! WILL! BE! EYE! RAIN!”
—Newsday
“Sensitive, hilarious, and emotionally rewarding.... The intimacy of pet ownership is sweetly suffused throughout this heartwarming autobiographical fiction... In generous helpings of bittersweet humanity, Rowley has written an immensely poignant and touchingly relatable tale that readers (particularly animal lovers) will love.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Steven Rowley’s touching, fresh, energetic novel isn’t simply another ‘boy and his dog’ story. 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. But the octopus will be paid. And in settling that debt, in the magical, hopeful world of Lily and the Octopus, we will learn to live—and love—again. A wonderfully moving story.”
—Garth Stein, bestselling author of The Art of Racing in the Rain
“An exceedingly authentic, keenly insightful, and heartbreakingly poignant tribute to the purity of love between a pet and its human.”
—Booklist (starred review)
“A quirky and deeply affecting charmer of a novel, Lily and the Octopus is funny, wise, and utterly original in its exploration of what it means to love any mortal creature. This brave little dachshund will capture your heart, as will her prickly, tenderhearted, and irresistible owner. Don't miss their adventures together.”
—Sara Gruen, bestselling author of Water for Elephants
“Singular, spectacular, and touchingly tentacular.”
—Chris Cleave, bestselling author of Little Bee
“You will tear through this big-hearted, inventive novel. A fast and funny read that also happens to be a profound meditation on love and forgiveness, Lily and the Octopus is a delight.”
—Christina Baker Kline, bestselling author of Orphan Train
“Intelligently written, finely observed, and surprisingly moving, this is a book you’ll find hard to put down.”
—Graeme Simsion, bestselling author of The Rosie Project
“A whimsical, touching tale”
—People
“My favorite book of the year: Steven Rowley's Lily and the Octopus. Hilarious, heartbreaking. You will absolutely cry and you will love it."
—Patrick Ness, bestselling author of The Rest of Us Just Live Here
“You don’t need to be a dog lover to enjoy Steven Rowley’s new book, ‘Lily and the Octopus,’ but if you’ve realized you like your dog more than most humans you encounter, this is one you won’t want to miss.”
—Newport Beach Independent
“In his funny, ardent and staunchly kooky way, Rowley expresses exactly what it's like to love a dog.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Rowley shares a moving, profound tale of grappling with loss.”
—Real Simple
“It is a joyful book; it is also a sincerely written tragedy that invoked the purity of friendship between animal/human family members. It's laughter through tears. Rowley has a sense of humor with just enough morbid sensibility to appeal to a wide audience (even if animal best friend books aren't one's thing). Yet, he navigates the five stages of grief and loss while inspiring others to appreciate the lives we already have.”
—Edge Media
“Portland’s Steven Rowley strikes a chord in a moving book about heartache and friendship that is expected to be a big seller this summer.”
—Portland Press Herald
“The connection between man and dog is loud and clear in this sweet novel...”
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram
“Author Steven Rowley uses humor and pop-culture references to tell a whimsical story of courage in the face of heartbreaking reality. Philosophical and introspective, “Lily and the Octopus” also looks at the transformative power of love, the importance of forgiveness and the beauty of really living, letting ourselves be seen instead of hiding in plain sight...I laughed, I sobbed, and at the end, I felt as if I’d caught up with a friend over coffee.”
—The Free Lance-Star
Library Journal - Audio
09/15/2016
Screenwriter Rowley's poignant debut novel offers an anthropomorphic story that will be recognized by listeners who have faced a loved one's illness. Ted, lonely and single in Los Angeles, finds solace in his companion Lily, a dachshund. He raises her from a pup, and their lives are melded. Aging together, Lily and Ted chat, play Monopoly, and discuss cute boys. One day Ted notices something on Lily's head that resembles an octopus and wonders why he never noticed it before. Ted can't bring himself to say out loud the word tumor and calls the growth the Octopus—he even gets the vet to use the term. The Octopus, sarcastic and caustic, yet with a sly wit, won't leave. And thus begins a major battle that reaches epic proportions. Rowley captures with tenderness, humor, and creativity Ted's feeling of powerlessness, the nuances of his grief, and the fierceness people can summon when faced with an overwhelming foe. Michael Urie captures well Lily's manic yet innocent voice, as well as Ted's calmer tones and the Octopus's sly taunting. VERDICT Urie's skillful narration adds another dimension to this tale of loss of a beloved pet. Recommended. ["This funny and heartbreaking first novel will appeal to dog lovers": LJ 5/15/16 review of the S. & S. hc.]—Judy Murray, Monroe Cty. Lib. Syst., MI
Library Journal
05/15/2016
Fortysomething Ted and his 12-year-old dachshund Lily live a quiet life in Los Angeles. Ted hasn't had a boyfriend in years, but he and Lily watch movies, play board games, and talk about guys together. Everything is going along smoothly until the appearance of the octopus, Ted's name for the tumor that appears on Lily's head. Because of her age and prior medical history, Lily's treatment options are limited. Still, Ted is determined to save the life of his best friend. The fight gets more serious as Lily loses her sight and the octopus begins to talk to Ted. Ted reminisces about his and Lily's life together as he devises increasingly outlandish tactics in his war with this eight-armed invader. A long and almost mythic sojourn aboard a rented trawler leads Ted and Lily to the climax of their battle with the implacable enemy. VERDICT This funny and heartbreaking first novel will appeal to dog lovers, especially those who have had to face the harder aspects of giving their love to a creature who will return that adoration perfectly but for a far too brief time. [See Prepub Alert, 1/4/16.]—Dan Forrest, Western Kentucky Univ. Libs., Bowling Green
JUNE 2016 - AudioFile
This is an audiobook best appreciated by knowing very little about the plot before starting. The discoveries and realizations along the way make the listening experience exponentially more powerful. And if one is listening in a public place, they can also make the experience a little embarrassing. Listeners need know only that Steven Rowley's debut is a beautiful love story. Michael Urie narrates with a heartfelt passion that makes one giggle and laugh, nod in understanding and sob with sorrow. Urie's authentic emotion comes out in every character, whether it's Lily the dog's excitement, Ted the human's frustration, or the nameless octopus's apathy. This isn't an audiobook to take on your public transit ride, but it's one that should not be missed. J.F. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2016-03-15
A lonely writer and his aging dachshund confront a mythic enemy. If it wasn't for one thing, Rowley's debut novel might be viewed as a lightly fictionalized, heart-wrenching account of the author's last six months with his adored 12-year-old dog, Lily, who succumbed to a brain tumor. That one thing, however, is pretty big. It's the "octopus" of the title. "It's Thursday the first time I see it. I know that it's Thursday because Thursday nights are the nights my dog, Lily, and I set aside to talk about boys we think are cute.…We get into long debates over the Ryans. I'm a Gosling man, whereas she's a Reynolds gal." The thing Ted notices that fateful Thursday is an octopus. It "has a good grip and clings tightly over her eye." For almost all of this novel that thing over Lily's eye remains an "octopus," an evil eight-legged sea creature that snarks and schemes and wages battle. Even Ted's best friend and therapist give in and call it an octopus, and a good deal of plot is built around pretending that it is, in an elaborately developed, magical realist way. This is not the best thing about the book. In fact, it becomes a little much. But more than balancing it are the portrait of Lily in all her bedclothes-burrowing, ice cream-eating, stubborn dachshund glory and the intensity of this particular interspecies bond. The octopus talks to Ted, but Lily does too, for example when she's licking tears off his face: "THIS! EYE! RAIN! YOU! MAKE! IS! FANTASTIC! I! LOVE! THE! SALTY! TASTE! YOU! SHOULD! MAKE! THIS! EVERY! DAY!" As anyone who has a dachshund knows, this is exactly how they talk. If you have an older dog, or any dog, he or she is going to be licking plenty of eye rain off your face through the final chapters of this book. In his funny, ardent, and staunchly kooky way, Rowley expresses exactly what it's like to love a dog.