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Smack

3.81 of 5 stars 3.81 · rating details · 7,008 ratings · 382 reviews

An uncompromising, compelling and true-to-life story of two teenagers drawn into the dangerous and destructive world of heroin addiction. This tour de force by an acclaimed and provocative writer should become a definitive teenage novel on this subject.

Paperback, 293 pages

Published May 1st 1999 by HarperTempest (first published November 14th 1996)

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Jul 28, 2011 Lissa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011

I’m conflicted about this book.
On the one hard, it’s absolutely brilliant. It really is. It’s slow to start, but after the first chapter I was pulled in and just kept turning page after page. I was desperate to know what happened next. The character voices sang to me – sang to me through the pages.
On the other hand, the subject matter.
I’m not one to mark a book down purely because of the subject matter. This deals with teenager runaways, teenage junkies, spoilt bitches who get everything they ev...more

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Mar 26, 2011 Lisa (scarlet21) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Meet Gemma and Tar, two 14 year old friends. Tar is a nice lad, thoughtful, intelligent and full of puppy love for Gemma, but Tar is also the victim of abuse from his parents. Gemma is a devoted friend, likes a good time and is all for helping Tar. She has parents the opposite of Tar's, they care too much and show this bytbeing too stric for Gema's liking. Both end up on the streets of Bristol to escape their parents, fall in love and get involved with fascinating but destructive couple Lily and...more

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Nov 21, 2008 Rebecca H. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Two kids, Tar and Gemma, run away from home. Tar runs escape being beaten, Gemma to have freedom she desires. While on the run, They meet other people "on the run". These people introduce them to drugs. From there they all spiral out of control. They try to get clean but they begin to realize that it is alot harder then they ever could have imagined. The question becomes, will they ever be able to get their lives back on track or will their addiction lead them to their death?

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Mar 01, 2009 lAuRa rated it 3 of 5 stars

A book about a heroin addict. (Yes that's what smack means) so just beware...oh and it's not that crazy at least I don't remember it to be it seems to be made more for a young reader. I want to read it again and will update this review when I do to let y'all know.

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Nov 30, 2008 Laurie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, outside-reading

Smack has become a book I will definitely use in my classroom in excerpt form if I get a chance. It is not only a terrifying and touching tale of the effects of Heroine abuse, it is also a book that touches on multiple voice writing, different language and vocabulary used in different cultures, and how understanding what you are getting yourself into can prevent a lot of heartache, pain, and in some instances death.

Smack is the collective stories of several individuals who encounter Tar and Gemm...more

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Apr 08, 2013 Aaliyah Mangum rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Smack by Melvin Burgess is a well written book. It touches on the issue of teens, drugs and abuse. This story in particular focuses on two teens named Tar and Gemma who live in England. Tar experienced abuse at home from his father. His mother was an alcoholic and he spent most of his time trying to cover up for her. He eventually gets into a big fight with his father who beats him over chores. That then fuels him to runaway. Gemma lived at home with both her mother and father. They are very pr...more Smack by Melvin Burgess is a well written book. It touches on the issue of teens, drugs and abuse. This story in particular focuses on two teens named Tar and Gemma who live in England. Tar experienced abuse at home from his father. His mother was an alcoholic and he spent most of his time trying to cover up for her. He eventually gets into a big fight with his father who beats him over chores. That then fuels him to runaway. Gemma lived at home with both her mother and father. They are very protective and only want the best for her. Gemma on the other hand is rebellious and knows her parents are loving but she plans to runaway with Tar too.
Tar runs away first to Bristol. He ends up meeting a man named Richard who is a tobacconist. Richard and his friends break into abandoned houses and squat them. Squatting is the practice of living in abandoned or unoccupied spaces that a squatter does not legally own. Tar begins to feel comfortable and believes that Gemma will fit right in with the house. The other people in the house feel otherwise because she is young and her parents are loving so coming there wouldn’t benefit her since she has no real problems. In the house, they are introduced to marijuana for the first time. That then leads to other complications.
Gemma finally makes it to Bristol and she seems to fit in. While living in this home, she loses her virginity to Tar. After a couple of nights, she begins to change the way she looks for Tar with the money she took from her father when she left home. She ends up going to a club to have fun but when it came for the time to go, she didn’t want to. Luckily Tar persuaded her to leave with him and not some random guy she danced with that night. The housemates decided that they should throw a housewarming party. They invited some of their friends and two of them just so happened to be name Lily and Rob. Gemma begins to get close to Lily because she likes her sense of freedom and her ability to not care. They both end up persuading Tar and Gemma to stay with them at their home.
While Gemma and Tar are staying with Lily and Rob, they introduce them to heroin. They begin to smoke so much that they become addicted to it. Eventually they end up being joined by a friend named Sally, who is also a heroin adjust addict. Lilly ends up finding out that she is pregnant and then decides that it would be a good idea for them all to completely stop. That doesn’t happen and so Lily continues to use while pregnant. Once they become low on the money to buy heroin, the girls turn to prostitution at a massage parlor to help them buy heroin. Tar ends up getting sent to rehab, to end up using again. The next time he gets caught with Gemma and then he is sent to prison. Gemma ends up finding out she is pregnant. She is persuaded by Vonny to go home and take care of the baby with her parents. Once she is home, she is drug free and has little trust in Tar to be around the baby if he is still using. He soon quits and is able to see their daughter and be with Gemma every now and then.
I recommend this book to other because it is very interesting and deals with real life problems. It teaches you about teen drug abuse and the affect it could have on your life. A lot of teens deal with abuse at home or struggle to gain freedom when living under strict parents. This book I would say definitely shows how other teens cope with that pain. Running away is not the best answer but getting help or just simply talking to your parents or some adult could help guide you in a good direction.
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Mar 13, 2013 Josh rated it 5 of 5 stars

THIS WEIRD THING ABOUT (THE BOOK) SMACK
SMACK BY MELVIN BURGESS
5 STARS
MARCH 13th, 2013

"It’s this weird thing about smack. First off it makes you feel so good. But after a bit, after your body gets used to it, it stops working like that. You start needing it just to stay normal..." Those are the words of 14yr old Gemma. Gemma and Tar are two runaway teenagers that get addicted to heroin. The reader learns how they live on their own. What its like to being a junkie, being pregnant and uneducated. G...more

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Mar 13, 2013 Brandon Taylor is currently reading it

So far in the book A boy named Tar and and girl named Gemma(main Characters) are dating. It starts off with them in a car late a night, past there curfew talking about how Tar's dad beats him and that Tar in going to run away from home. Thats why they are spending the night with each other. It goes on and Gemma thinks about if it would be a good idea to have good bye sex, because she wants to make Tar happy but she doesnt know if its a good idea. Which they don't have sex. But the story coutinue...more

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Jan 29, 2013 Ally rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I had such a hard time finding this book on here, didn't realise it was published under two different titles! My copy is titled Junk.

When I read this book I was pretty young, I was pretty naive. I guess I thought I was this incredibly mature, cool chick and that I knew where it was at, as many teens do. Truth is, I didn't know shit. I'm 23 now. I've been through some rough times - I left home too young, got involved in shit I had no business getting involved in, made some poor life choices and...more I had such a hard time finding this book on here, didn't realise it was published under two different titles! My copy is titled Junk.

When I read this book I was pretty young, I was pretty naive. I guess I thought I was this incredibly mature, cool chick and that I knew where it was at, as many teens do. Truth is, I didn't know shit. I'm 23 now. I've been through some rough times - I left home too young, got involved in shit I had no business getting involved in, made some poor life choices and suffered a wicked bad case of burn-out. My eyes are now open.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that my teenage self thought this book was cool. Yeah, it's shocking, it's heavy subject matter, but the characters are living a fast paced life, dabbling in drugs on the edge of society. They have freedom, independence and wild, colourful experiences. My adult self, following a whole world of fuck-ups all my own, thinks this book is not cool. It's intense, it's bleak and at times, heartbreakingly sad.

The story follows a whole cast of messed up characters. But our two main protagonists are two lost teenagers, Tar and Gemma who come from very different backgrounds but end up in very similar, shitty situations. Tar leaves home because life at the hands of his abusive, alcoholic parents becomes unbearable. Gemma leaves home because she's a bored, spoiled brat. However, they both end up getting tangled up with the wrong crowd, one thing leads to another and they find themselves addicted to heroin.

Melvin Burgess paints an interesting picture of drugs abuse and addiction ... You're having fun, right? Drugs make you feel good, right? All your friends are doing it so it must be great, right? No. Drugs steal your life until your whole world becomes nothing but your addiction. Drugs take your choices, your health and your self respect until all you're capable of is chasing your next high. Gemma and Lily turn to prostitution to pay for their habit, Lily gives birth to a baby already hooked on heroin, Tar loses his love and talent for art because all he cares about is getting wasted. The book spirals down and down into this black hole as the characters became more and more dependent on heroin. It's a wonderful portrayal of how one thing leads to another, how your life can take turns you never planned it to and how easy it can be to slip into a lifestyle you never expected.

The character development, in my opinion is fabulous. Gemma is a bitch. You will hate her. She's a complete brat. She just wants to rebel and she's incredibly immature, resenting her parents and her life just because she lives in a small town where nothing much happens. She's searching for excitement, a cheap thrill. The scary thing? She reminds me of a lot of teenagers I know, or have known. Everyone knows at least one kid who wants to grow up too fast, who wants desperately to be cool and to fit in, who succumbs to peer pressure frighteningly easily. But at the end of the day they are still just kids. However, as the story progresses we see a change in Gemma, she begins to grow up and change. It's very subtle until at the end of the book we are left with a completely different girl from the person we started with due to her experiences along the way.

I would not say that this is a book for younger teens, it's definitely young adult, not young teen as I think it needs to be read with a certain mindset and awareness. Parts of the story appear on the surface to be almost glorifying substance abuse as we follow Gemma and Tar's first experiences of drug use. However, in my opinion it has been written this way to create authenticity as indeed, in the early stages of use and addiction, particularly to kids as young as Gemma and Tar the whole debacle would feel like a glorious adventure. This quickly descends into a nightmare though as things get out of control. So while reading, I think it would be important that the reader would be aware that the story is attempting to be an accurate portrayal of developing addiction and it does spiral into an horrendous situation, the book does not in any way promote drug use if the whole story is read through and thought over.

The writing at times is slow, particularly the beginning, it drags it's feet a little as we get to know Gemma in her home town, seemingly mostly populated by the elderly and a gang of rebellious teens. There is some room for confusion with the largish cast of characters, I can see how for some people it could take a while to get a handle on who everyone is as the story is narrated by many different voices. Having said that however, every character is vividly individual and the character development is fantastic. One more issue I had was the use of time ... It jumps around and passes oddly, so it's the next day and then all of a sudden it's the following month. It's hard to grasp how long the whole situation has been going on for.

Give Junk a go if you can stomach details of heroin addiction, it's incredibly interesting and emotional. I don't think I knew what I was reading when I first picked it up, I do now. I understand that it is based on several true to life stories and incidents, which is a very sad thought.

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Jan 23, 2013 Michaela rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 20th-century, books-i-own

If anything, Burgess' Junk has taught - or indeed reminded me - how very prejudice a person I am.

I've always considered myself a very open minded and a non-judgeental person, but erhhh, error. It seems as if I, to some extent, am as bad as the very people I despise. You see, I was convinced, CONVINCED, that Junk was going to be yet another story about drugs and rock and roll; resulting in a moral tale instructing us to stay away from narcotics. Drugs are bad, stay away and all that shit, but NO....more

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Jan 07, 2013 3.matthew.perkins.3 rated it 5 of 5 stars

Smack, by Melvin Burgess

Smack by Melvin Burgess is indeed a very good book depicting the tale of two young adults that experience the adventure of running away to create a new life. The story takes place in presumably an English city, and the 2 teenagers run away to a squat where they commit many crimes such as drugs, while also partying their lives away.

In the book, each chapter shifts the point of view between current people that play an active role in the story, maintaining interest and givi...more

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Dec 21, 2012 Alicia rated it 1 of 5 stars

Tar and Gemma are young teenagers who run away together; Tar has a reason, Gemma doesn’t – Gemma is bored of her life at home and sick of her parents, whereas Tar’s dad regularly beats him. They become squatters, and meet up with other runaways who introduce them to drugs; they are soon addicted, especially to heroin, and end up doing awful things like stealing and prostitution to fund their addiction. But whilst it is the central focus, this novel isn’t really about that; it’s about growing up...more

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Aug 04, 2012 Kaia James rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If you enjoyed Go Ask Alice then you'll enjoy Smack. This book would be dangerously promoting drugs if the reader doesn't finish the novel, as the narrators glorify the drugs while they're still enjoying them. A teen picking up the novel, glancing through, or merely not finishing it would be facing the same consequences as all the kids who learned how to purge their meals from the confessions of teens with eating disorders on Oprah. However, keep reading, and you're as excited about doing heroin...more If you enjoyed Go Ask Alice then you'll enjoy Smack. This book would be dangerously promoting drugs if the reader doesn't finish the novel, as the narrators glorify the drugs while they're still enjoying them. A teen picking up the novel, glancing through, or merely not finishing it would be facing the same consequences as all the kids who learned how to purge their meals from the confessions of teens with eating disorders on Oprah. However, keep reading, and you're as excited about doing heroin as you were after watching "Trainspotting" (which forever connected the image of smack in my mind with dead, blue infants).

Burgess eerily captures the rational teens use to justify stupid choices so accurately, that it was embarrassing to remember that I was just like that at one time. Teens don't just decide one day that they're going to be a junkie and a prostitute because that's a great career choice, but rather experience a slow decline that seems perfectly rational and even idealistic; it's scary. For the record, I've never been a junkie or a prostitute, but the voice of the female characters was so familiar that I've left this novel thinking that I avoided that fate merely by the luck of the draw. Had I been in the wrong place at the wrong time, who knows? And that is pretty scary. My favorite line: "The need for self-deception in a situation of dependency is quite staggering." And I don't think this applies only to a dependency on any particular substance: it can be dependency on people, security, situations, a job even. Really got me thinking.

Burgess creates detestable characters who are entirely sympathetic, forcing the reader to consider how fragile and vulnerable we may all be. If a teen were to stick with the novel and finish it, I'd recommend it, but not if they were going to dabble in it without seriousness. I particularly appreciate Burgess's ability to honestly portray disturbing issues without any gore or unnecessary imagery. For example, a girl is brutally sexually assaulted, and the way it was presented, I didn't get physically or emotionally ill by it for a change; I could still grapple with all of the implications of the event without being destroyed (as I was by reading "Kite Runner"). Burgess leaves enough to the imagination but also exposes enough X-rated situations faced by the characters to make it realistic enough (as opposed to Go Ask Alice).

In all, it kept me reading, left me thinking, and overall exposes sad truths in an 80's British Punk scene (which was a delightful treat!). I DID wish that I had known about the glossary of unfamiliar British slang in the back! It would've saved me some time and frustration. I had to read the term "screw" in context over a dozen times to get that it meant a prison guard!

FAVOURITE QUOTE: Sometimes when we were hiding behind the breakers with the crowd, he'd hold me so tight, I'd think he's not just holding me, he's holding onto me, like I'm stopping him from falling off. I'd see him looking at me and his eyes were so full of...I dunno. Like he was about to cry. And, it's stupid, I know, but I think maybe he's hurting because he loves me and I don't love him, and this great lump used to come up into my throat and I'd hold him tight and try and squeeze him as tight as I could and try as hard as I could to fall in love with him the way he loved me.

And then other times I'd think, it's just the way his face is that makes him look like that(less)

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Jul 25, 2012 Clackamas rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, pre-teen-and-teen, sociology-and-psychology, for-work-kids

This book is Go Ask Alice meets Trainspotting for the middle school set.

Smack was recommended to me by one of the kids at the adolescent treatment facility where I work. This is one of the books that they're allowed to read with therapist approval only. The reason their psychologist has to approve it is because a lot of this book can seem to be glorifying drug use. If it's read by the wrong kid or too early in their treatment a can have a completely negative affect on their treatment process.

U...more This book is Go Ask Alice meets Trainspotting for the middle school set.

Smack was recommended to me by one of the kids at the adolescent treatment facility where I work. This is one of the books that they're allowed to read with therapist approval only. The reason their psychologist has to approve it is because a lot of this book can seem to be glorifying drug use. If it's read by the wrong kid or too early in their treatment a can have a completely negative affect on their treatment process.

Unlike a lot of teen books that deal with drug abuse and talk only about how drugs are bad, this admits the fact that drug use is fun... drugs make you feel good... people take them for a reason. If you only read the first sixty percent of the book or so, you might think that this was a book about the benefits of drug use... Your life maybe complete crap when you're on drugs, but you're hooked on drugs so you don't care... Life is fun!... You feel no pain!

But if you follow this story to the end, you get a better picture. Options for the future go away. Relationships are permanently damaged. Trust is scarred... possibly forever. You might be able to go back to your old life, but it won't be the same. In all likelihood you'll try, but the drug use will continue to be a struggle for the rest of your life. And that's only if you're lucky enough to still HAVE a life... Unfortunately the life of an addicted street kid is often short.

My only frustration with this book is that the female lead was not likeable at all, even before she was an addict. Her experiences changed her future, she got more responsibilities, but overall I don't feel that she was affected enough by her time on the streets. But then again a lot of the kids that I work with are able to go back to their lives... so I suppose it's realistic-ish. I just would have preferred if she had to go into some kind of drug treatment or rehab though. There was nothing in her story arc to indicate why she would suddenly become responsible after being such a whiny snot. She had a lot of thinking errors that need to be addressed but the story didn't tell how she dealt with that; she just suddenly stop thinking that way.

I also take issue with the way the author wrote from a 14 year old perspective. Kids aren't idiots. They have better vocabularies than this for the most part. It definitely felt like an adult trying to sound like he THINKS kids sound. It was condescending.(less)

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Apr 23, 2012 Tomo20 rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is another of those books I read because my daughter is studying it and I was hoping to be of some use come essay time. This time however the fact of having raised a daughter added extra clout to the book as the teenage protagonists ring very true to anyone who's raised a child. Gemma and Tar are the main characters and we follow their trajectory from leaving home to living in a squat through to flirtation with, addiction to and finally, for some, quitting heroin.

Each chapter is told from...more

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Apr 09, 2012 Katie Chatfield rated it 2 of 5 stars

Gemma and Tar, both young, both naive and both through with living with their abusive, strict parents. David or "Tar" a nickname given to him by his friends is the first to run away, and who else to bring along than his love of his life Gemma. Both innocent at the time find themselves living on the streets struggling until a couple of people befriend them leading them into the life of drugs and crime. Not so long after meeting these new group of friends, drugs are introduced and so is stealing....more

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May 30, 2011 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011, young-adult

I'm not entirely sure this should be classified as strictly Young Adult, but out of the several different narrators, most of them are teenagers who age from 14 to 19. It takes place in Bristol (England) in the 1980s, and depicts the lives of young runaways, one of whom, Tar, had a legitimate reason for leaving home and one of whom, Gemma, was basically bored, and didn't like her parents telling her what to do (!). They become heroin addicts and resort to theft and prostitution to keep their habi...more

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May 26, 2011 Serena rated it 4 of 5 stars

The genre of this book is a fiction book, I chose it because a friend told me about it and it looked interesting. The way the book is everyone in the book is a protagonist. But the two that the book seems to focus the most on is a 14 year old boy named Tar, and a girl named Gemma. They are a couple that both ran away from home. Tar was being beat by his dad on a regular basis, and Gemma had to deal with controlling parents that thought they owned her. It is set in a city in the UK they both turn...more The genre of this book is a fiction book, I chose it because a friend told me about it and it looked interesting. The way the book is everyone in the book is a protagonist. But the two that the book seems to focus the most on is a 14 year old boy named Tar, and a girl named Gemma. They are a couple that both ran away from home. Tar was being beat by his dad on a regular basis, and Gemma had to deal with controlling parents that thought they owned her. It is set in a city in the UK they both turn in to squatters. They meet different people while living there and learn a lot about themselves and how to live on their own.
The central conflict in this book is both man vs. self and man vs. society. I say man vs. society because, everyone thinks Tar and Gemma and every other main character in the story is “too young” or not sensible enough to be on their own. They constantly have to prove themselves to everyone else because no one else thinks the can do it on their own. Also I say man vs. self because, the main characters in the book are always second guessing themselves, putting themselves down, and trying to convince themselves that what they are doing is right. It takes a lot throughout the book for that to happen, especially for Tar. Tar feels bad for leaving his mom but with everyone had to convince him that leaving was the best thing he could have done for himself. Everyone in the book has to at one point or another has to convince themselves that they are all doing the right thing. The theme was struggles within yourself. That is mainly what the whole book is about, everyone trying to work things out in their own heads.
The writing style of the author was easy to read. It was not difficult to understand at all. The way it was written was that you could read everyone’s perspective. It jumped from person to person, and you could read their thoughts and know what they thought about everyone in the story. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who does not like to read. I don’t like to read and it only took me a week to finish. It is slow at first but gets interesting when you start to be able to see what everyone else is thinking about each other.
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Jan 18, 2011 John Bannister rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book tells the story of 2 unhappy teenagers living in a small town in England in the 1980s, both unhappy for different reasons - one legitimately and the other mainly due to teenage angst - it is quite a dark story which is not afraid to deal with the controversial issue of drug addiction and the resulting effects on people's lives. It is an engaging story with each chapter telling part of the story from a different characters point of view. The characters, to me anyway, were well-written w...more

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Sep 28, 2010 Patrick Murray rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 8th-grade

Smack by Melvin Burgess was a good book. It satrts of about a girl named Gemma and her boyfriend Tar in the backseat of a car. Tar was just beat up by his father for the last time he said to Gemma. Tar was planning on running away and admitted to her that this would probably be the last time they saw eachother. The next morning when Gemma arrives home her parents are furious to find out that she was out all last night with the boy they forbidded her from seeing. They grounded her immediately and...more

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May 03, 2010 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-fiction

Not sure why, but books and movies about heroin addiction always interest me. So when I saw this book at a local used book store, I had to grab it.

Told from the POVs of several different characters, the story is about two runaways, Gemma and Tar. Tar runs away because he's being beat by his father. Gemma runs away because she wants her freedom. The two first hook up with a group of anarchist squatters but soon meet up with Lily and Rob, two heroin addicts who quickly get Gemma and Tar hooked on...more

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Apr 05, 2010 Jonah Tarmu rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 8th-grade-25-books

smack was 4.5 stars very close to 5. i thought it was interesting because it was sort of a different story than I'm used to. but i didn't want to give it 5 because it wasn't really the kind of book I'm into. but i thought the plot was still really good. but the most interesting thing about the story is that it really could happen. if your not careful anyway.

the book takes place around the 1980s or something close to that. its about 2 different people really. but throughout the book it also says...more

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Apr 05, 2009 Maggie added it

Shelves: 2008-2009

Smack tells the story of two teens who run away from their homes and become addicted to heroin. It is set in Britain in the mid-1980s, and both the language and context are very much connected to that setting. David, known to his friends as "Tar," has alcoholic parents, and his father is physically abusive. The novel starts when David is 14, and he can no longer bear to live at home where both his mother and father cause him to be miserable in their different ways. He runs away to Bristol, and s...more

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May 17, 2013 Shine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It interests me that this one's about teenagers who have taken smack, heroin, hash, methadone and those drugs you never thought they were drugs until someone explained them for you.

Mind you, I didn't even know what smack meant until I've read the book. Lo and behold, it's that nasty drug that, accordingly, provides you an escape to reality and you'll be feeling good every time. Read this to believe it. :D

Anyway, back to what I felt about the book. I was looking for that "adrenaline rush" when yo

...more

It interests me that this one's about teenagers who have taken smack, heroin, hash, methadone and those drugs you never thought they were drugs until someone explained them for you.

Anyway, back to what I felt about the book. I was looking for that "adrenaline rush" when you read at the first chapters but they weren't there.

I continued reading though and there it was in the later part of the story when Gemma and Tar met Lily and Lily's bloke - Rob. The trouble comes and who is to blame? My answer is that would be pretty much everyone. Some might say that it is alright to do drugs at times but my opinion is that drugs do not do good to anyone.

When I read this, I somehow got the picture of teens being addicted to drugs and how they came to be after this.

Those who would want to stay clean should really understand what they're putting theirselves into because there's nothing to go back to for them except those drugs that pretty much inflicted harm to their body and destroys their relationships to others.

I feel like there are real teenagers out there who are similar to the characters of the story.

I think that these teenagers should have provided love, support and care by their parents. The parents too must assure themselves that they have what it takes to be parents and they must know how to deal with their children. Gemma and Tar felt they were treated like crap and that is why they tried to leave their parents and live together. Tar lived in a abusive home where he had to do his alcoholic mother's works because his father always beats his mother and he's the only one who could do the chores. Gemma is the typical teen who does not want to be told what to do and yes, freedom is what she wants. In the end, the story of their lives were quite chaotic but not much because they have learned their lessons.

I'm rambling all over the place but I'd like to know what you guys think of my review. Relevant critiques are encouraged. :D Thank you. Happy reading! :D

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Oct 25, 2012 Drazen Mann rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is one of those books that will drag you in, and put you in a different life, very effectively. Elaborating on that, every chapter cycles through the perspective of the main characters Gemma,and Tar. They eventually meet more and more new friends and enemies, who will have their own story to tell. The main reason i rated "Smack" 5 stars is because id say everyone, more or less, can relate to it. First off, one of the main characters, Gemma, is pretty spoiled, with no idea of the world aroun...more This is one of those books that will drag you in, and put you in a different life, very effectively. Elaborating on that, every chapter cycles through the perspective of the main characters Gemma,and Tar. They eventually meet more and more new friends and enemies, who will have their own story to tell. The main reason i rated "Smack" 5 stars is because id say everyone, more or less, can relate to it. First off, one of the main characters, Gemma, is pretty spoiled, with no idea of the world around her. She is best friends with an older guy, Tar, who is running away from his abusive family. Gemma's parents dont like the idea of her hanging out with anyone like Tar. Gemma will grow more and more rebellious, as her parents try to constrict her. Eventually the harmonically opposing teens move away together, and live in an abandoned house with some other homeless friends Tar bumped into. They are a bit older than the two (mid 20's) so they decide to have a party, with some kids their age (15,16). They end up going back to their house and spending the night. As it turns out Lilly and Rob, from the party both are heroin addicts. Tar and Gemma start shooting up to 4 times a day with their new friends. I was expecting that. They all act like they have it under control, taking breaks now and again. But the thing is, they learn that the hit you take after being clean for a few days, is the best. And that after a while you cant stop, because that me gusta feeling goes away no matter what you do, you need to chase the dragon just to feel OK. Soon, people O.D, someone gets pregnant, and they realize they need to stop. But that is far from easy, READ THE BOOK TO SEE WHAT I MEAN. All of the characters have a very noticeable personality change throughout the book. I think everyone can relate to at least one of the characters, and everyone who reads this book front to back will be steered straight from all drugs, if not heroin. Do not attempt to read this book for "just a bit", you will be hooked.(less)

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Apr 17, 2012 Ashika Manu rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When I first started reading this book, I actually really liked it. This was the first book I'd read solely about drugs, and I was apprehensive at first. It took a while to get into it, but after the story moved to Bristol, and we met Lily and Rob, I really started to like the characters. I liked their way of thinking, their complete and utter freedom. It was entrancing and intoxicating, and sometimes I catch myself wishing I could be like that. Minus the drugs, obviously. But then, after Lily's...more

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Aug 08, 2011 Sam Woodfield added it · review of another edition

I had read this book when I was younger and wanted to read again to see it from an adult perspective and I must say, it was stiall as good as the first time around. Burgess' style of telling each chapter through a differents characters eyes was very insightful and provided a very full and heartfelt story on a very sensitive topic. The story really opens the readers eyes to drug-taking, showing how naiivety and desperation can lead to becoming a 'junkie' and lead to life spiralling out of control...more

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Mar 31, 2010 Jesse rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is about two runaway teens (Tar and Gemma) who get caught up in the world of drugs, crime, and prostitution. The two main characters start off by living with two anarchists who are relatively mild for people who typically live on the streets. Eventually the two main characters meet some individuals who live a more extreme lifestyle that they're attracted to. Amidst all the partying, sex, and struggle to survive the two get hooked on heroine. This leads them into prostitution and eventu...more

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Nov 21, 2012 sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: owned

I'm typically hesitant about drug addiction stories because they all come off the same to me. And this one wasn't really anything new - at least in the beginning. But then I wound up getting really attached to the characters, and I felt so much happiness for them when they tried coming off the smack, and I felt so much disappointment each time they went back on it. This is one of few books I've read where I enjoyed the chapters alternating POVs, because I felt so much more connected to all of th...more

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Dec 10, 2008 Leah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Smack was one of those books that made me miss dinner and not get any of my homework done. It was as addicting as the drug it describes. The story of two runaway lovers and they're tale of the people they met and the adventerous ride of being an addict of herion, and the struggle of getting out of addiction. Tar, a victim of an abusive father, and an alcoholic mother who clings to Tar's side, decides he's had enough and runaways to Bristle, England. Tar is also in love with Gemma, who runs away...more

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About Melvin Burgess

Melvin Burgess is a British author of children's fiction. His first book, The Cry of the Wolf, was published in 1990. He gained a certain amount of notoriety in 1996 with the publication of Junk, which was published in the shadow of the film of Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting, and dealt with the trendy and controversial idea of heroin-addicted teenagers. Junk soon became, at least in Britain, one of...more

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Quotes from Smack

“Listen. You can be anything you want to be. Be careful. It's a spell. It's magic. Listen to the words. You can be anything, you can do anything, you can be anything, you can do anything. Listen to the magic.
You are anything . . . everyone, anyone. Whatever you want. I'm showing you. So long as you stay yourself inside, you can eat dirt and it'll taste good because it's you that's eating it. You can even lick their arses if you have to. You listen to them, teachers, parents, politicians. They're always saying, if you steal you're a thief, if you sleep around you're a slut, if you take drugs you're a junkie. They want to get inside your head and control you with their fear.
Maybe you think your mum and dad love you but if you do the wrong things they'll try and turn you into dirt. It's your punishment for being you. Don't play their game. Nothing can touch you; you stay beautiful.
I've done everything. All of it. You think it, I've done it.
All the things you never dared, all the things you dream about, all the things you were curious about and then forgot because you knew you never would. I did 'em, I did 'em yesterday while you were still in bed,
What about you? When's it going to be your turn?” — 94 people liked it

“Sometimes maybe you need an experience. The experience can be a person or it can be a drug. The experience opens a door that was there all the time but you never saw it. Or maybe it blasts you into outer space...All that negative stuff. All the pain...It just floted away from me, I just floated away from it...up and away...” — 82 people liked it

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