Melvin Burgess' novel Smack (or Junk, depending what version your read) is a phenomenal piece of literature. I had to read this book for my Good Novels English class, in which we focus on British literature published within the past twenty years. The book itself highlights the English heroin epidemic in the 1980's by telling the story of two rebellious youth, Gemma and Tar. In this book, they see the roughest parts of society. Dodgy anarchists and vagrants help paint a picture of the early British punk subculture in a shocking and insightful way.
This book is particularly special to me because I come from an area full of drug abuse, and a lot of the emotions and ideas conveyed in this book are relatable. Still, the fact that it takes place in England only adds another perspective on a problem I see so often locally. The characters themselves remind me of myself at their age. Ignorant, insecure know-it-all's with little concern for what anyone else may think. It is fascinating to imagine how different things could be if I'd made a few wrong choices and ended up in their shoes.
Smack reminds the reader that demons used to be angels, and an addict can come from any background. Oftentimes there seems to be a societal stigma that only poor people can become addicted to drugs, but that is far from the truth. The protagonists come from two very different families, one overbearingly authoritarian, but loving, and the other more laissez-faire and neglectful.
The book is an easy read. It could probably be read by any high schooler. It is a very fast read too, as it is only three hundred fifty pages long. Still, regardless of whether you're a heavy reader or not, I recommend it with a solid four out of five star rating.
There is some debate about the book. Many feel that Burgess' roughly three hundred fifty page novel glamorizes drug abuse and vagrancy, and encourages youth to runaway from their parents. I personally find these claims ridiculous. In reality the author give a voice to the members of society so often forgotten. Melvin Burgess' Smack tells the story of young people just like you or I, and it reminds us that we must count our blessings every chance we get.