Ted and Lily will grab your heart strings. Within you will follow a journey of true love to the end... and how life goes becomes a battlefield and how life inevitably goes on afterwards. You will not be able to just read and forget this story. Perhaps you will find your own methods to deal with your own octopus' after reading this book.

Very touching story about an anxiety-ridden middle-aged guy not long out of a bad break-up and now dealing with the failing health of his best friend--his aging dachshund, Lily. Humorous scenes of his mother, sister, close (human) friend, and ineffectual therapist trying to help him through this most difficult part of his life.
Relatable story for anyone who has ever loved a pet or had to deal with the illness of a loved one.
Now don't cry. ;P

This was a great book, but beware - it’s a tearjerker! Lily is a great companion to Ted, and they’re story is a good one. The 1st chapter I was skeptical, but I really like it!

This one had so much promise in the beginning, but totally lost me in the end. It was just too metaphorical and complicated. I wanted to call it a tear-jerker but it wasn't for me.

A funny, sincere, tear-jerking book for any dog lover.

A wonderful book. A must read for any dog lover.

Pet lovers, especially dog lovers, will totally understand this book. Ted Flask learns many things along the way from his relationship with his dachshund, Lily. It's a heartwarming story--you'll feel sad, you'll feel joy and you'll laugh out loud. Not to be missed.

WOW! I just finished this four minutes ago which in dog time is almost half an hour. Not what I expected, as in, I thought I would be able to not cry. And unexpectedly, I loved his metaphorical adventures (far better than anything Jonathan Livingstone Seagull ever had on offer).
"I look at the photograph. Across a guy's rib cage are scrawled the words 'To die would be an awfully big adventure.' I recognize it immediately. 'Peter Pan.' 'J.M. Barrie,' Kal corrects. 'Peter Pan isn't real.' 'Isn't he? I always thought Peter Pan was death. An angel of death who came to collect children.'"
"Dial. I associate that word more with soap than with telephones. Or maybe something more sinister. Die-all. And yet the phone is ringing, and the ring itself is mildly comforting. There should be some sort of number that you can call late at night just to hear a phone ring. No one would ever answer, but there would be the promise that someone was out there who would listen to you and all you had to say. Ring. Now, even that word is weird. How can it mean both the circles in a tree stump and the noise a telephone makes? Dial, ring. Dial, ring. Dial ring. Just as I hear 'Hello?' I hang up."
"'Because sometimes it's nice to have memories. Don't you have any favorite memories?' Lily thinks about this. 'All of my memories are my favorite memories.' I'm amazed by this. 'Even the bad ones?' 'Dogs don't remember bad memories/' Envious, I scratch her on the velvet part of her chest. What an incredible way to live."

It was a sad novel. After reading like the second chapter, I already knew how the book was going to end. It's a slow read and a very detailed experience of losing a loved one. It's not my cup of tea but it wasn't a terrible book.

This was a stretch for me. It's not what typically draws me, however, that being said, I really found it intriguing. Insightful into some of the Big Questions of life. A main character that I felt empathy for in many ways. And, I will always remember "how" Lily "talked." It's hard to convey such on the written page.