Point of View

Lily and the Octopus is related from the first-person reflective perspective from the point of view of the main character, Ted Flask. The novel is essentially Ted’s recounting of his life with Lily, and in particular, the final weeks of Lily’s life. Because only Ted can tell the story of Lily’s final days, it is fitting that Ted himself actually tell the story. Ted relates, in great detail, the struggles and moments of happiness in those final weeks. The first-person narrative mode also matters greatly in that Ted is not an open character: he is very closed around other people, so only the reader gains unfiltered and unrestricted access to Ted’s deepest thoughts, fears, and emotions. Only by the end of the novel, as Ted reflects on the past with Lily, does he finally decide to open up to someone, with...