Official Review: Short of Love by Martin Knox

amandathebibliophile · Post by **amandathebibliophile** » 10 Jan 2020, 12:22

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Short of Love" by Martin Knox.]

3 out of 4 stars

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Short of Love by Martin Knox is a fascinating piece of satirical fiction. It explores love, relationships, and the moral impact of viewing people as commodities, rather than individuals. The story revolves around the exceedingly selfish Tom Archer, a student with his eyes fixated on a future as a successful engineer. But his focus wavers when he meets Vicki Hillstone. He becomes so wholly consumed by his desire for her, that he is driven to a whole new level of distraction.

Early in the story, Vicky tricks Tom into taking a lie detector test. With the results, she learns that Tom hasn’t been fully truthful with her, and he winds up “shorting” Vicky for later. This leads to devastating consequences. Ultimately, the reader is left wondering whether a relationship built on such secrecy and lack of foresight can survive.

The author creates an intriguing parody of love and its effects in modern life, while also commenting on the nature of relationships in which love isn’t a central theme. The writing style is quite curious, and while it may not suit every reader, it certainly shows how incredibly familiar the author is with his main character. This is itself a perfect irony, because such a level of intimacy is one Tom tries, but cannot find with Vicky. Additionally, I found that for all of Tom’s show of cold calculation, his vulnerability was quite the commentary on the same deceptive ways in which most of us behave when trying to attract love: that is, trying to make ourselves appear better than we are.

Interestingly (and because I’m a big Beatles fan), I also found the snippets of lyrics from this iconic band to be a fun addition to the story. Indeed, I noted 22 specific mentions of the band and its songs! I definitely found myself pausing to think about the deeper connection between why and where such lyrics were strategically placed. I would be curious to learn more about the author’s intention by incorporating The Beatles to the extent that he did.

All in all, I didn’t hate the book, but I didn’t find it to be a page-turner. As much as the style is forward-moving, it just didn’t call me the way other books do. And even though it was obviously intentional, I found Tom’s overall take on love off-putting. Grammatically speaking, I only found a handful of minor errors, and I suspect it was professionally edited. Still, I find myself reluctant to rate it more than 3 out of 4 stars. It just didn’t have the momentum or vibe that I want out of books for which I give perfect ratings. Ultimately, I think that readers who enjoy thinking about love and taking a deep dive into the nature of relationships might be intrigued by this book. But as I mentioned, I don’t think the narrative structure is for everyone. While it is a clean style, it’s also paradoxically unrelenting and cerebral.

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Short of Love
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Stephanie Elizabeth · Post by **Stephanie Elizabeth** » 15 Jan 2020, 11:00

This sounds like an intriguing read and I like that it has some Beatles lyrics inside! Thanks for the great review!

MsH2k · Post by **MsH2k** » 17 Jan 2020, 01:09

amandathebibliophile wrote: ↑10 Jan 2020, 12:22 The author creates an intriguing parody of love and its effects in modern life, while also commenting on the nature of relationships in which love isn’t a central theme.

The book cover captured my attention—I was trying to figure it out. Your statement seems to describe the cover as well as the book! Thank you for a great review.

kdstrack · Post by **kdstrack** » 26 Jan 2020, 14:45

I'm curious as to how Vicky got Tom to take the lie detector test?? It seems as though she put great confidence in those results. Thanks for your forthright recommendations.

Roger Glasgow · Post by **Julius_** » 02 Feb 2020, 11:37

A book with a parody situation where love is central and another where love has no net effect. That sounds great! Thanks for the review.

Kelyn · Post by **Kelyn** » 19 Feb 2020, 21:09

You're right, it would be interesting to know if he meant something 'more' by integrating Beatles songs the way he did. I don't think I would enjoy such a 'cerebral' read, but thanks for the review!

Triciat50 · Post by **Triciat50** » 21 Apr 2023, 16:12

Thank you for your honest review--this one probably won't make the TBR pile. But I also like a book that used quotes from songs as part of the story or the headings of chapters, and I do agree it makes you think about the connections.