Lily and the octopus

I'm giving this book 3 stars because it's well-written and I don't want to crap on the author, but I'd like to give it one star because:

SPOILER ALERT

1. I hate books where animals talk. This would've been more powerful if the dog didn't talk.
2. The only way I could reconcile myself to a talking dog was to assume the protagonist was crazy, which seems reasonable given some of the other stuff that happens in the book, but it's never really addressed or resolved.
3. Why, oh why, would you write a book that is about the death of a pet? People who love animals don't want to go through that. People who don't love animals wouldn't find it interesting. I'm left wondering who the target audience is for this book. I can't think of a person I'd recommend it to.

I read over half the book in just a day, without realizing it. Beware: you will bawl.