By Steven Rowley
This book is a surprise. In a slow revelation LILY AND THE OCTOPUS pivots from a simple “boy loves dog” tale to unveiling a profound beautiful experience of coming to terms with grief.
We witness a long heartfelt journey of denial and heroic fight against inevitable loss all through a relationship with a sweet brave little dachshund, Lily. And this book is funny! The narrator’s delusions and cranky observations show us in bald relief all the hiding and avoidance that accompanies his fear. Desperate, he creates a magical world where he and Lily can fight back—and win! —against the enemy (who takes the form of an octopus).
Inventive, entertaining, suspending reality in order to figure out what IS real…we readers are on an energetic, moving ride in this tale.
What a delight.