Lily has been the love of Ted’s life for over 12 years, claiming him as her own as he picked over a litter of dachshund puppies. They have been inseparable, discussing movie stars and playing monopoly on weekends with Lily’s dialogue punctuated with exclamations after every word and ALL! CAPS! as dogs will do. Everything changes when Ted suddenly realizes Lily has an octopus on her head and ‘it’s hungry. And it is going to have her". Obviously, the octopus is a metaphor for cancer which is nearly always deadly for dogs. At this point the reader might stop reading, but the author is brilliant in not allowing us to sink into despair, instead focusing on Ted’s determination to “save” Lily from the octopus, his devotion to her even to the point of madness (i.e. purchasing a large octopus from a Chinese market and hacking it to pieces which he throws to the delight of Lily (YES! CHEWY! HAPPINESS! MORE! SALTY! MEAT!) and the tenderness shown as Lily declines. Everyone who has ever had the privilege of experiencing the unconditional love shared by these beautiful souls will understand Ted’s fight to save his beloved dog, and the unbearable heartache of loss. But wouldn’t we do it all over again? Read with tissues. Lots of tissues.
