I Know It's Over by C.K. Kelly Martin

Sixteen-year-old Nick, still trying to come to terms with his parents' divorce, experiences exhilaration and despair in his relationship with girlfriend Sasha especially when, after instigating a trial separation, she announces she is pregnant.

I think I was predisposed to love this book, because "I Know it's Over" is one of my very favourite songs by The Smiths. That really doesn't have anything to do with the book, though, except for the male point of view of a former relationship - although in this care, the relationship is definitely still ongoing in a mutated kind of way.

As I started reading, though, there were just so many more things to love about it - the character of Nick, his honesty and his voice; the way that every character, even the smallest ones, feel like they could have their own novels; the unflinching way that sex, pregnancy, and abortion are dealt with; the unfolding nature of the story, jumping back and forth in time before speeding ahead; the Canadian setting; the heft of the hardcover (I was reading a library copy, as I often am, but the hardcover had such a nice feel to it - something that is very important to me and something that I almost always take note of).

This is C.K. Kelly Martin's first novel, and it doesn't feel like one, given the sure-footedness of the characterizations. You can read an interview with her over at Wondrous Reads (her favourite scene from the book is also far and away my favourite scene from the book, and one of the best scenes I've read all year. There's also a Book Trailer for I Know it's Over, it doesn't tell you anything more but might sell you on the story.


IKIO trailer