The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus

by Emma Knight

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

A sharp coming-of-age journey set in a glamorous world of high academia, old money and one eccentric upper-class family. This heartfelt tale is sure to please fans of Sally Rooney and Emma Donoghue.

“A spellbinding debut about friendship, motherhood, first love, and the choices that bind us. . . I couldn't put it down!” —Carley Fortune, #1 New York Times bestselling author of This Summer Will Be Different

A witty, atmospheric, and brilliantly told novel that offers compelling portraits of womanhood, motherhood and female friendship, along with the irresistible intrigue surrounding an extraordinary British family

Arriving at the University of Edinburgh for her first term, 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 Lord 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 . . .

As Pen experiences the sharp shock of adulthood, she comes to rely on herself for the first time in her life. A rich and rewarding novel of campus life, of sexual awakening, and ultimately, of the many ways women can become mothers in this world, The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus asks to what extent we need to look back in order to move forward.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781420523294
Publisher:	Gale, A Cengage Group
Publication date:	05/28/2025
Edition description:	Large Print
Sales rank:	397,206
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Emma Knight is an author, journalist, and entrepreneur. Her writing about books, maternal health, and more has appeared in Literary Hub, British Vogue, The Globe and Mail, and The Walrus. Emma lives in Toronto with her family, and The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus is her first novel.

Editorial Reviews

11/25/2024

Cookbook author Knight (How to Eat with One Hand) makes her fiction debut with a touching tale of a student’s romantic entanglements and family secrets. Penelope “Pen” Elliot Winters arrives at the University of Edinburgh from Toronto. While in Scotland, she looks up aristocrat Elliot Lennox, from whom she believes her parents derived her middle name. Her father, Ted, was friends with Elliot and Elliot’s sister, Margot, at university, and Elliot now lives with his wife, Christina, at their crumbling family castle, while Margot is a fashion designer in London. Elliot and Christina invite Pen to their estate, where she meets their oldest son, Sasha, who is frequently in the tabloids as he finishes his final year at St. Andrews, and with whom Pen feels an instant attraction. As Pen frets over her virginity and worries what others think of her, she grows closer to the entire Lennox clan, including Margot’s daughter and grandson. But after a second trip to the castle ends with the cold shoulder from Sasha and revelations about their families’ connections, Pen confronts her naivety and tries to “make peace with herself.” Though the cast is a bit too crowded, making the story hard to follow, Pen’s intelligence and charm carry the reader along. The result is a satisfying coming-of-age story. Agent: Samantha Haywood, Transatlantic Agency. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus:

“The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus is a spellbinding debut about friendship, motherhood, first love, and the choices that bind us. Emma Knight whisks us away to Scotland, where Penelope Winters navigates her first year at Edinburgh University while untangling a family mystery. I couldn't put it down!”
—Carley Fortune, #1 New York Times bestselling author of This Summer Will Be Different and Meet Me at the Lake

“Brimming with heart, The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus is a story about parents and children, friends and lovers, and that moment when a young person must strike out on her own to claim the life she most wants. Emma Knight swept me off my feet.”
—Jenny Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of Pineapple Street

“Whip smart, unrestrainedly fun, and bursting with heart. . . A novel about finding ourselves, falling in love, and meeting that precious group of friends whom we call family. . . Joyous, clever, and wholly transportive.”
—Katy Hays, New York Times bestselling author of The Cloisters

“Charm on every page. . . enthralling. Academia, friendship, young love, and family secrets, this is as smart as it is delicious, as nostalgic as it feels fresh. . . Knight is a blazing new literary talent.”
—Ashley Audrain, New York Times bestselling author of The Push

“Knight’s gorgeously intimate, cleverly insightful wordsmithing will certainly impress and entertain.”
—Booklist

“Wonderfully crafted, Emma Knight's story of friendship, family secrets and first love made me nostalgic about the act of reading itself. Mystery, intrigue, posh Scots and academia, it's a book to lose yourself in. Pro tip: carry it around the house, like I did, for maximum snatched read-time. A beautifully written, page-turning delight!”
—Fran Littlewood, New York Times bestselling author of Amazing Grace Adams

“Sally Rooney fans, take note! Emma Knight's witty, wistful debut will keep you up all night, pondering the mystery and romance at its core, and rooting for Knight's irresistible heroine. I loved it.”
—Joanna Rakoff, international bestselling author of My Salinger Year

“Addictive, nostalgic and comforting, this layered family mystery crept round my heart like a modern-day Dodie Smith.”
—Claire Daverley, international bestselling author of Talking at Night

From the Publisher