Lily and the Octopus Summary & Key Insights

Steven Rowley's "Lily and the Octopus" is a poignant and surprisingly humorous novel exploring themes of love, loss, aging, and acceptance, all framed by a fantastical premise. The story centers around the elderly and recently widowed Theodore, a man struggling with grief and the encroaching realities of his declining health. His life takes an unexpected turn when a small, sentient octopus named Lily appears in his bathtub.

Lily is not your average cephalopod. She is intelligent, communicative (through a series of nonverbal cues Theodore learns to understand), and acts as a catalyst for Theodore's emotional and spiritual journey. She doesn't offer easy answers or magically fix his problems; instead, she becomes a companion, pushing him to confront his grief and face his own mortality with grace. Their unusual friendship unfolds in a series of darkly comedic and deeply moving vignettes.

Theodore's grief is deeply rooted in the loss of his wife, Lily (the human, not the octopus), with whom he shared a decades-long, deeply loving relationship. Their life together, replete with both joy and sorrow, is slowly revealed through flashbacks interspersed throughout the narrative. These flashbacks serve to illuminate the depth of Theodore's love and his struggles to navigate a world without her. He grapples with memories, both cherished and painful, and the realization that his own time is limited.

As Theodore and Lily's bond strengthens, the octopus helps him rediscover his passions, encourages him to reconnect with old friends, and guides him toward a more profound understanding of himself and his place in the universe. He rediscovers his love for photography, a hobby he shared with Lily, and rekindles connections with his estranged daughter, Marnie. Marnie, initially hesitant and frustrated by her father's eccentricities, slowly comes to appreciate the unusual relationship between her father and the octopus, and begins to better understand her father's grief and the complexities of their relationship.

The novel's overarching theme is the acceptance of life's inevitable ending. While Lily's presence is fantastical, the emotions and experiences Theodore goes through are entirely relatable, exploring universal themes of loss, aging, and the importance of human connection. The octopus, a creature often associated with intelligence and adaptability, serves as a metaphor for the resilience of the human spirit and the enduring power of love in the face of death. Ultimately, "Lily and the Octopus" is a celebration of life, love, and the bittersweet beauty of finding joy even in the face of mortality. The ending, while tinged with sadness, is also one of hope and acceptance, leaving the reader with a profound sense of understanding about the complexities of life and death.