Short of Love (2018) is a novel by Martin Knox, similar to ‘The Slap’ by Christos Tsiolkas (2008). Both novels commence with dramatic incidents pivotal in relationships throughout the stories. 

The Slap is bitterly disputed within a family, whereas in Short of Love, Vicki tricks Tom to take a lie detector test, as a university student in Liverpool in the Beatles era, losing his trust. Knox’s book satirizes conventional love relationships and when Tom commodifies their love it backfires disastrously, blowing him and Vicki apart. He is obsessed with her, becoming an irrepressible hippy and a vulnerable CEO. It is a tantalizing love story, a fast-moving page turner with an unexpected ending. 

Available on Amazon. Reviews at martinknox.com