| Lily and the Octopus | |
| Author: | Steven Rowley |
| Audio Read By: | Michael Urie |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Genre: | Magical realism |
| Publisher: | Simon & Schuster |
| Pub Date: | June 7, 2016 |
| Pages: | 320 |
| Isbn: | 978-1-50-112622-2 |
Lily and the Octopus is the 2016 debut novel of Steven Rowley.
A 42-year-old writer finds that a small octopus has attached itself to the head of his aging dachshund, Lily.
Rowley, a 43-year-old paralegal and screenwriter, had sold several unproduced screenplays before writing a short story about the death of his dachshund, Lily, to cope with his grief.[1] [2] [3] Rowley's boyfriend encouraged him to expand it into a novel.[2] Rowley wrote Lily and the Octopus in 100 days and submitted it to approximately 30 literary agents, who all declined to represent him.[3] Rowley said of the manuscript, "I was proud of it as a piece of writing, but I never thought that this was going to change my life."[3]
Intending to self-publish, Rowley hired freelance editor Molly Pisani, who later pitched the novel to her former colleague, Karyn Marcus of Simon & Schuster.[1] [2] [3] Impressed by the quality of the book,[1] Marcus forwarded it to Simon & Schuster editor-in-chief Marysue Rucci.[3] According to Marcus:
In April 2015, Publishers Weekly reported that Marcus had acquired the novel for Simon & Schuster in a "nearly seven-figure" book deal.[1] The Hollywood Reporter noted that the offer "was made with unusual speed",[2] with The New York Observer calling it "a timeline unheard of in the slow-paced publishing industry".[3]
Lily and the Octopus was published on June 7, 2016.[3]
Booklist praised Lily and the Octopus as "an exceedingly authentic, keenly insightful, and heartbreakingly poignant tribute to the purity of love between a pet and its human".[4] Publishers Weekly called the novel "sensitive, hilarious, and emotionally rewarding", adding that "in generous helpings of bittersweet humanity, Rowley has written an immensely poignant and touchingly relatable tale".[5] Kirkus Reviews wrote, "In his funny, ardent, and stanchly kooky way, Rowley expresses exactly what it's like to love a dog."[6] Sara Gruen called Lily and the Octopus "A quirky and deeply affecting charmer of a novel [that] is funny, wise, and utterly original in its exploration of what it means to love any mortal creature."[4] Julie Klam of The Washington Post described the novel as "heart-wrenching but ultimately breathtaking",[7] and Garth Stein praised it as "a profound exploration of grief".[4]
In June 2016, Lily and the Octopus made the American Booksellers Association's IndieBound Bestseller List.[8] The Washington Post put the novel on its list of "Notable Fiction in 2016".[9]
In April 2018, Amazon Studios acquired the rights to develop the novel into a feature film.[10]