The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus

by Emma Knight

Pen and Alice, childhood best friends from Toronto, are in their first year at the University of Edinburgh. Each has come to the city for her own reasons.
Pen knows her divorced parents back in Canada are hiding something from her. She believes she'll find the answer here in Scotland, where an old friend of her father's - now a famous writer known as Lord Lennox - lives. When she is invited to spend the weekend at Lennox's centuries-old estate with his enveloping, fascinating family, Pen begins to unravel her parents' secret, just as she's falling in love for the first time . . .
Meanwhile Alice, an aspiring actor, sees university as her route to the West End and beyond. The star of this year's theatre production, she's making the most of the power she wields as an object of desire - until an affair with her tutor begins to slip from her control.


Witty, warm and wildly unputdownable, The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus is at once a love story and an irresistible mystery, a celebration of female friendship, and a study of how looking back can help us move forward.

Genres: Fiction, Audiobook, Book Club, Contemporary, Romance, Coming Of Age, Literary Fiction

385 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 7, 2025

About the author

Emma Knight is an author, journalist and entrepreneur. She has an MA in Journalism and an MSc. in International Development from Sciences Po in Paris. Emma's writing about books, maternal health and more has appeared in Literary Hub, Vogue, The Globe and Mail, The Walrus and The New York Times. She is the creator and co-host of the culture podcast Fanfare. In 2014, Emma co-founded a now multi-award-winning organic beverage company called Greenhouse, where she is Head of Brand. She is the author of two bestselling cookbooks, How to Eat with One Hand (2021) and The Greenhouse Cookbook (2017). Emma lives in Toronto with her family. The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus is her first novel.

Reviews

[Deb · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. This book has nothing to do with Octopuses and i think the publisher used the cover to draw in lover's of Amazingly bright creatures.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not a great way to start my reading year.

We follow our main protagonist, Penelope, whose middle name is Elliot, which she just doesn't understand as Elliot is typically a boy's name. This bothers 'Pen' so much that she digs into her parents' past and finds a guy called Elliot Lennox, who is now a famous writer. Upon further investigation, she understands that her parents no longer have contact with Elliot, so she takes its upon herself to launch into Elliot Lennox's family to understand why she carries the middle name she does.

If this sounds flimsy to you, I can assure you that it reads flimsy to me also. I wasn't convinced by the plot or the characters here unfortunately. This felt very amateur, almost like a draft.

It also rubbed me up the wrong way in terms of thought processes like a person wearing extremely clean trainers must own a lot of shoes. It feels very elite to me. Also, characters tensing their eyelids, no one can tense their eyelids, let's be real.

The time period of this book is also unknown, with people having to log onto laptops to use messenger to communicate makes me think the book is set decades ago yet it's never made clear which I feel it should do for a 2025 release.

All in all, this was a miss for me.

Two stars (I liked the few sentences on the Octopus)

[Susan's Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

The intriguing title of this book caught my interest - as did the facts that it was written by a fellow Canadian, is partially set in Toronto, and the two main characters are Canadian transplants, entering their first year at the University of Edinburgh in the year 2006.



I decided to go into this one blind and not do too much research about octopi, other than the standard fact that the average life span of these invertebrates is 5 years. (A couple of reviewers noted that the full relevance of the title of this book is only revealed at the 87% mark on their Ereaders, but I realized when I got to those final chapters that there were indeed many vital clues in the very first chapter.)



The Scottish vernacular gave me occasional trouble, but Pen and Alice's fellow students were an engaging band of characters, so I just went along for the ride when I couldn't decipher the slang. Penelope Winters' inner (and occasionally oral) dialogue often made me think that this story was taking place in the Victorian era, but Pen was a book nerd and probably just could not help herself! I suppose I should count my blessings because these days, most teens and young adults that I come across speak in "abbreviation mode" - or some obscure code that even Google Translate can't decipher!



Beautiful and talented Alice Diamond is Pen's total opposite: embracing all the experiences and liberties that studying abroad afforded her. I was worried for a while there that this story might devolve into a tropey YA novel, but rest assured that the troupe of fellow students in Pen and Alice's social circle enjoy anything BUT a smooth ride in the relationship department.



The writing is above par and the author throws a few curve balls at you when you least expect it. I'm rating this novel a much-deserved 4 out of 5 stars. My thanks to the author, Emma Knight, the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
(Expected Publication Date : January 07, 2025.)

[Angie Miale · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a hard time getting into this, I listened on audio and I went back to the beginning at least 6 times after getting to around chapter 10 because I kept zoning out. I am not sure if it is just not good on audio or if the pacing doesn't lend itself to it. I don't know how this was selected as a Jenna Book club, especially as a debut author, the book had great press and marketing, but I could not wait for it to be over.

[Tracy GH · Rating 5 out of 5]

To say I am surprised by my rating would be an understatement. This currently is Jenna’s book pick of January 2025. The ratings are not overly strong on GR at 3.67 and yet I absolutely adored this book.

First of all it is a Canadian author debut! Who doesn’t love that? I also loved that a good majority of the book takes place in Edinburgh 👋🏻 where we follow some Canadian students from Toronto who are students at the Uni of Edinburgh.

I loved the character study of each character. I found some of them made me smile and others I could sympathise with. Coming into yourself, motherhood, forgiveness and all manners of relationships were highlighted. My favourite was the deep rooted friendship that Penelope and Alice shared. I am so fortunate to have a childhood best friend. This brought out several quotes that I had to write down.

As I read, the Edinburgh closes, monuments and streets all came into my minds eye. I felt like I was walking along side with them. It brings back many nostalgic memories. With that, came all the Scottish lexicon as well.

Now who to recommend this to? I honestly don’t know. I can understand how this is a hit or miss book. I can see how some of the dialogue isn’t fully understood and yet, I think you are missing out if you don’t give it a fair chance. Highly recommend. It is a braw read. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🇨🇦

And finally, I love the cover and the title! 🐙
Quotes:

“The mother who insists on keeping that inner self of hers alive is monstrous. No one blinks when a father continues devoting himself for whatever he wants to accomplish in the world. Hers becomes a life of conflict , between who she is and what is expected of her. Society deems her selfish and unnatural. If she lets herself believe this she is doomed and so is her
children. “

“She and Pen had been friends since well before they had discovered the need to construct an outer shell… to protect the soft inner substance of the self. Childhood friendships often lose their hold at that point, when one sees that the person who loved has learned to disguise herself and will no longer be reachable, or at least not often. … that this friendship could take them through every stage of life, cushioning them against the bone crushing loneliness of being human, they did not have to pretend with each other. “

[emilybookedup]

my first DNF of 2025… got about 15% into the audio and couldn’t follow it / didn’t want to go back to it even with my fave narrator :(

will maybe go back one day, but will need some convincing!

BTW the octopus is a metaphor. there is no Marcellus take 2… iykyk 🐙🐙

[Perri · Rating 1 out of 5]

This started out strong and intriguing with a weekend visit to a wealthy author's mysterious estate but then it became hard to follow with random plot lines of the protagonist's college friends we don't care about and just not a tight storyline. Sorry I wasted my time.

[Erin Clemence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.

Expected publication date: Jan. 7, 2025

“The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus” is the debut novel by Canadian author Emma Knight. It is an intriguing story about motherhood and friendship that form around the mysteries of an elusive and posh British family.

Penelope has left Canada, and her bickering, divorced parents, behind in order to pursue post-secondary education in Edinburgh with her best friend, Alice. But there is more to the story. Pen knows that her parents have deep secrets and the only way to get to the bottom of them is to investigate them herself, beginning with the intriguing family of Lord Lennox. As she struggles to find herself in her new surroundings, she is pulled into the drama of the Lennox family. Will Penelope learn the truth about her parents? And, if she does, can she move forward?

Penelope is the main protagonist in “Octopus” but she is not its sole narrator. Alice also shares her perspective on things, along with a few other individuals who cross paths with Penny, although they mostly make brief narrations and disappear into the background. Pen is young, naïve and inexperienced in every way, a woman coming into her own in a foreign country, which is nothing new of course, but she is likable and relatable and I was invested in her story.

This story takes place mostly in Scotland, which seems to be a theme in the last few books I’ve been reading, and to view the country through Pen’s eyes, as a new arrival, was an enjoyable experience. I found the elite Lennox family and their complicated family secrets to be fascinating and addicting, and it was easy to see why Pen was so enamored with them.

“Octopus” has multiple plots that converge into one. Pen, the new university student who is finding herself and exploring her new surroundings. Pen, the young woman who seeks out the Lennox family to discover the secrets her family is hiding. Pen, the inexperienced romantic who finds love in the strange but endearing son of the Lennox family. All three plots focus on Penelope, obviously, but they are all very different and they interchange freely. One minute, Penelope is among friends at a local pub, and then she is with the Lennox family finding out their secrets. The transitions are smooth enough but there was enough pulp in all three storylines to have their own novel and “Octopus” would’ve had an easier flow if Knight chose one storyline and focused on developing it out.

A stellar setting and some intriguing family secrets, “Octopus” is well written for a debut. With some careful honing and focus, Knight will be an author to watch for in the future.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I soooo enjoyed this debut by Canadian author, Emma Knight that follows two Toronto friends, Pen and Alice, as they embark on their first year of university in Edinburgh. Told over the span of the year, we see Pen and Alice grow together and apart while making new friends, emarking on romantic relationships and as Pen tries to get to the bottom of her parent's divorce by tracking down one of her father's best friends from his time at University in Scotland in the 80s.

This book felt nostalgic in the best ways, was full of female friendship, female empowerment, first love and family secrets. I loved both Pen and Alice's story lines and seeing how they grew as individuals and young women in the early 2000s. The author also explores sexual misconduct through a student-professor affair, infidelity, single motherhood and so much more.

Great on audio narrated by one of the best, Saskia Maarleveld, who does an amazing job voicing the full cast of characters. This was also a Read with Jenna January book club pick and I am so glad she chose an emerging Canadian author who will definitely be one to watch! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!

CW: infidelity, sexual misconduct, infertility/miscarriages, depression and suicidal ideation

Favorite quote:
"The mother who insists on keeping that inner self of hers alive is monstrous. No one blinks when a father continues devoting himself to whatever it is he most wants to accomplish in this world. But a wife and mother who has priorities of her own and refuses to put them last? Hers becomes a life of conflict, between who she is and what is expected of her. Society deems her selfish and unnatural. If she lets herself believe it, she's doomed, and so are her children." (p. 327)

[Sophia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think Knight is a promising new writer, though this advanced edition needs polishing, in my humble opinion as a reader. The beginning and end caps need a stronger tie in to the plot, and the plot needs going over with a fine tooth come to strengthen its importance, but the core of the story is there, the characters are lovely, and the book as a whole was a thoroughly enjoyable read.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a Little Free Library Shed book donation, I was intrigued by the title of the book and the colorful book cover. Unfortunately, that was about all that intrigued me.

The story revolves around a woman named Pen. She is attempting to find her own independence as well as investigate the ending of her parents’ marriage as she takes off for university in Scotland.

The premise itself seemed plausibly interesting. Especially with a mystery to solve in respect to her parents. But the execution of the story felt forced. It involved an overwhelming cast of characters, coming-of-age, exploring their sexuality and autonomy. With so many characters to keep track of, it seemed to dilute the plot, in following along on Pen’s journey.

And, what about the octopus? Especially as it relates to the title of this book. Is there supposed to be a parallel between octopi and human behavior? If so, it felt lost in translation for this reader. And, didn’t seem to connect to the title of the book or the story presented.

Unfortunately, for this reader, the storyline fell flat and the characters were more annoying than likable. And, the mystery proved anti-climactic. With an abrupt ending, it added to the disappointment. I may be an outlier, so please read other reviews.

2.5 stars rounded up for scenic Scotland

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Book tagline: A witty, warm and brilliantly told debut that is at once a love story, a story of female friendship and motherhood, and an irresistible mystery surrounding an extraordinary British family.

The title, the cover, and the hype were the three reasons I sought out this title. Once I started reading I enjoyed that the main protagonist, Pen, was a Canadian like me. The story was set in Scotland, a country that I have visited and love to visit in a literary sense as well. The mystery of the wealthy Lennox family and their ties to Pen's parents who were now divorced was interesting. Unfortunately, there are also a lot of other happenings in the book( romance, friendships, and #Metoo) that somewhere in the midst of all of it, I forgot that central plot line. When Pen finally finds out all the answers to her questions, it didn't quite have the exploding climax that I had anticipated. On the other hand, learning the significance of the title made for a good scene.


Maybe it is just me, but this one failed to make an impression.





Publication Date 07/01/25
Goodreads Review 22/01/25

[micky :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adored this book. The writing was so fun & I loved all the characters. Every single one was just written so deeply and I can’t even pick a favorite, well, maybe Alice. She was just like me (I’m writing this with sick brain so pardon if nothing makes sense). I loved each one of their mini storylines and how they all came together to create one beautiful story. I wish I had something smarter to say but it was just so fun & colorful & bright, while also being emotional & touching & stirring. For a debut novel this was perfect. I love loved loved it. It could’ve never ended and I’d still be reading.

[Christine · Rating 1 out of 5]

An absolute mess of a book. Ok plot but the way it’s written is terribly messy. And boring.

[Crystal Palmisano-Dillard · Rating 1 out of 5]

I dnf'ed at 65% because life is too short to deal with this bullshit

[thebookybird · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5
There is a good book in here, but this read like a first draft, bit of a mess, too many technical issues, I think with a stronger editor this would of been tighter and better developed.

Things that stood out:
Alice’s storyline wasn’t integral to the plot could be removed entirely.
The characters are great but not developed.
A story that is sold as a book about friendship and motherhood yet centrally focused on romance.
Setting is there but no time getting a sense of it.
The big twist fell flat and too late to have major impact.

[Taury · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus by Emma Knight was an extremely disappointing book. First of all it has nothing to do with sea creatures or octopus. I am not sure what it was about. The novel had no organization or real plot line. The positive was the narrator, Saskia Maarleveld , is one of my favorites.

[Shantha (ShanthasBookEra) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 🌟 rounded up. Read with Jenna picks normally knock it out of the park. This one got up to plate and slowly sauntered to first base. The concept is excellent, as was the last hour of the book. However, the first 40% was a little disjointed and could have used an edit to make it more cohesive and the underlying theme woven throughout. This was a meh for me, although I wanted to love it. There wasn't enough emotional depth to connect with the characters. I did listen to the audio, so I would suggest reading it instead to see if that would make it better.

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5★s
The Lifecycle of the Common Octopus is the first novel by Canadian author, Emma Knight. At eighteen, Penelope Elliot Winters and her best friend since childhood, Alice Diamond have travelled from Toronto to attend Edinburgh University. Alice sees it as a stepping stone to a West End acting career via the uni’s Bedlam Theatre and then the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Pen has taken subjects that might further a career in journalism, but she’s also taking the opportunity of proximity to visit a friend of her father’s from his time at the same university. Since she was a pre-teen, she has wondered about her unusual middle name, and hasn’t managed to extract a satisfactory answer from Ted Winters, just that she was named for his good friend, now a well-known crime novelist, Lord Elliot Lennox. She has the idea that the key to her parents’ marriage breakdown lies with that family, and is determined to find out.

On her first weekend visit to Talmorach in Stonehaven, she falls in love. Not just with the elder son, but with the whole family. She is welcomed warmly, but Elliot Lennox’s answers to her questions are evasive. There will be further visits…

Meanwhile, Alice throws herself into an affair with her married philosophy tutor and, knowing Pen will disapprove, shares nothing about it with her closest friend. They are very different people: “Pen had been trained to breathe less air than everyone else, whereas Alice had never once in her life felt the need to apologize for taking up space.”

After another visit with the Lennoxes, Pen believes that “She understood enough, now, of what had gone wrong between her parents that she could stop picking at it” but there are secrets to which she hasn’t yet twigged. Ted Winters was raised by a woman who “Until the end of her life had behaved, and taught her children and grandchildren to behave, as if what people thought of them was more important than the truth”, perhaps the root of his reticence.

The title is misleading. Readers expecting something, anything about common octopi, (to which there is only one reference at 88%, about 40 pages from the end) will be disappointed. But readers in the mood for a coming-of-age/friendship/womanhood tale with appealing characters and gorgeous descriptive prose may find this fits that bill. An example of that prose:

“Nor was she familiar with the torpor that could threaten to submerge a person— from which Christina sprang each morning with a cold shower and brisk walk to the village, rituals that never failed to snap her back into the present tense— when a life that had looked so broad and open ended at one time narrowed to a single corridor cluttered with promises.” Quite an enchanting debut.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada.

[Brooke · Rating 2 out of 5]

When a book opens like this, I just have to read it.

"I know there are exceptions--pregnant male seahorses with their brood pouches and so on--but mostly, it's females who carry the future. It can be deadly work. In some corners of nature, children gain strength by eating their mothers alive. Among humans such theatrics are frown upon. Rare is the mother who forts the Goldfish crackers and is cannibalixed in her minivan. More common is the one who devours herself."

The problem is, things did not really continue on this way. It's the story of a woman who moves to school in Edinburgh Scotland and is dealing with her parents divorce. It was not atmospheric except for making me want to have a gin and tonic in Scotland. There is a lot of intellectual banter, but I didn't connect with any story, and did not pick up on any mystery or intrigue. There was an attempt to tie in themes of sea-life but it was incomplete. I was disappointed.

[Sara Hernandez · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you for picking me as a giveaway winner. I am sorry to say that I found this boring.

[Mary Jo Boruta (Busching) · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book had a lot going on and I didn’t care about anyone or anything.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully crafted story of friendship, family secrets and first love.
Full of mystery, intrigue and academia.
This witty debut novel will keep you captivated from beginning to end.
Highly Recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada/Viking for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

[Alexa Marmion · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this to a degree but this book felt like it was trying to fit in too much and as a result of that everything was lacking. Like there’s a cool setting, but not enough. There’s family drama, but not enough. There’s a mystery, but not enough. I feel like this would’ve worked better as a simpler story with less POVs, or maybe two different books or something idk

[MJ Symmonds · Rating 2 out of 5]

I honestly struggled to finish this book which is sad as I was so excited to read it. I am Canadian and just visited Scotland this year so when I saw TLCOTCO up for review I requested it immediately and was thrilled to have received it.

The thing is this book has so much potential. Sadly, there were too many things that got in the way of that potential. The lagging plot line, the multiple pov's which were quite confusing and hard to follow, the multitude of characters whom many did not add any substance to the story and the lack of cohesion - there were too many sub plots that really had nothing to do with the main premise of the story.

My interest wasn't peaked until about the 80% mark and even the big reveal/twist fell flat. A reader should never have to wait this long to start to feel something for a story and its characters.

I will also point out that a Canadian author writing about Scotland and leaving out the "U" in words such as favourite and neighbour really threw me for a loop. If the story was based out of the US that would be understandable but not so in this case.

**Received ARC through NetGalley. Voluntarily reviewed.**

[ReadThisAndSteep · Rating 4 out of 5]

This coming-of-age story has timely themes of friendship, love, sexuality, and motherhood and contemplates societal norms and expectations placed on women. There's also intriguing family drama and mysteries to solve, but this is primarily character-driven. And those characters are flawed and engaging.
As the story built, I found this hard to put down. Other POVs are interspersed, but the main focus is Pen, who I found very likable. I was invested in her, from discovering her family's secrets to her growth across the story. I loved the University of Edinburgh setting, as I am always a sucker for any book that takes me to Scotland. I also loved how the book's unique title plays into the story.
Beautifully written, this has some clever touches, and the prose has a lovely quality that almost reminds me of a classic novel. This was a great debut, and I will be interested in whatever Knight writes next!

Thank you to Viking Books and Pamela Dorman Books for the gifted review copy

[Paige Pierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5.

A slow realization of motherhood, wealth, and the ever-enticing social politics of upper-class English society. With a charming, pining love story for a bit of flair, this was the perfect litfic for me

[Maureen Grigsby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got very caught up in this one!

[Jaclyn]

A damn fine campus novel. At times this reminded me of David Nicholl’s One Day, at others of Jo Hamya’s The Hypocrite, and at others of Love & Virtue by Diana Reid. High praise from me. It’s long and meandering and slowly unravels family secrets. I loved it, a great debut.

[Natalie HH · Rating 1 out of 5]

I feel entirely duped and incredibly regretful for seeing this through to the end. I was bored stiff 99% of the time and where the eff were the Octopi?!