The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus by Emma Knight

Emma Knight’s debut novel, The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus, is an atmospheric and quite ambitious coming-of-age tale, combining family mystery, romantic awakening, and the deep complexities of female friendship. Set against the gothic backdrop of Edinburgh, the novel follows Penelope Winters—Pen—a bookish and inquisitive Canadian student navigating her first year at university abroad. But what begins as a study adventure soon becomes a personal quest, as Pen seeks to unravel the mystery behind her unusual middle name and her parents' long-standing silence about a man from their past—Lord Elliot Lennox.

Knight’s storytelling is immersive, capturing the sharp shocks of independence, the thrill of new experiences, and the quiet confusion of early adulthood. Pen’s voice—often self-deprecating, always searching—grounds the novel with a youthful earnestness that feels both authentic and literary. Readers are brought into her internal world as she tries to make sense of identity, history, and love, all while trying to decipher the unspoken dynamics of the Lennox family, whose aristocratic eccentricity lends the novel a flavour of old-world intrigue.

Though the central mystery—why Pen is named after her father’s estranged university friend—initially feels slight, it soon deepens into a reflection on inheritance, secrecy, and the different ways women come to understand themselves. The real strength of the novel lies not in plot twists but in the relationships Knight draws so well: the evolving, at times painful, friendship between Pen and her vibrant, boundary-pushing best friend Alice; the slow-burn attraction between Pen and a member of the Lennox family; and the tensions between generations as Pen uncovers truths about her parents’ past.

Knight does not shy away from more serious themes, including student-professor relationships, infidelity, and the emotional labour of single motherhood. These are handled with care, though occasionally the narrative feels stretched across too many threads—one could imagine each subplot forming the basis for a novel in its own right. The transitions between romantic entanglements, campus drama, and familial secrets are smooth but at times lack the depth they deserve. Nonetheless, the writing remains consistently sharp, and the emotional core of the story—Pen's slow journey toward self-reliance and emotional maturity—anchors it all.

Set in a vividly realised Edinburgh, the novel makes excellent use of setting, from the cobbled streets and misty closes to the looming presence of Lennox Hall, the estate that holds so many answers. The Scottish vernacular adds texture, though some readers may find it requires acclimatisation.

The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus is a promising debut—witty, tender, and filled with some impressive flair. Emma Knight explores the ways young women come into themselves: through curiosity, love, heartbreak, and a willingness to look backwards in order to move forward. While not without imperfections, this novel marks the arrival of an author with something to say, and the talent to say it.

Reviewer: Chris Reed

Quercus