I purchased this book for my own collection.
Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books
Published: January 7, 2025
Summary:
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.
My thoughts:
I picked this one up because it was the January Read with Jenna bookclub and I am trying to participate in more of these bookclub discussions. It was also Barnes and Noble’s January bookclub pick. This is also a debut, and I love nothing more than supporting debut authors.
This is a coming-of-age story that also involves a bit of a mystery, and I think that is what kept me fully engaged. I loved the academic setting and the Scottish vibes. Set in the 2000s, I found myself immediately pulled back to that time – the author really does do a great job with sense of time and place. I also found myself really pulled into the mystery of what Penn’s family was hiding and why.
This book really is the perfect bookclub pick – there is so much to unpack. Themes of first love, womanhood, marriage, relationships between parents and children, and many more are explored and done quite well. For a debut novel, I was impressed, and I look forward to seeing what this talented author writes next!
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