Reviews: (by author)

Burgess, Melvin. Smack. Henry Holt and Company, 1996. $16.95. ISBN 0-8050-5801-X.

The "Author's Note" at the beginning of Smack ends with, "The book isn't fact; it isn't even faction [sic]. But it's all true, every word." Burgess claims that "all the major events" in the book "have happened, are happening and will no doubt continue to happen." An often disturbing story, Smack takes readers through the slow, devastating descent into the destructive world of heroin addiction. Tar and Gemma, two fourteen year old runaways, join other "squatters" (people who live in abandoned buildings) in Bristol. Heroin itself is the main character, taking center stage as it overtakes the lives of these adolescents. Each chapter is narrated through a first-person account, mainly by Tar and Gemma, but also by eight other characters. Readers are kept at a distance-it's often difficult to feel connected to or compassionate about these young people. Gritty, brutal, and tragic, Smack presents a horrifying existence without sermonizing or lecturing. Burgess avoids judging his characters, presenting them even-handedly as they lose their innocence and self-respect.

Such a harsh, unmediated depiction of reality probably has more impact on a reader than a softened or censored version of the consequences of addiction. Although Smack is shocking and disturbing, it sends a strong message against using drugs, especially since no aspect of addiction is glamorized. In the end, Tar compares his dependence on heroin with his love for Gemma-concluding that both relationships were dangerously unhealthy. Despite his final words, "But you have to hope. Like the doctor says, you have to be positive before you can get anywhere," this is not a hopeful story. The reader is left feeling that life will never be easy for these characters because each will have to deal constantly with the torment of addiction. There is a useful glossary at the end of the book, which is helpful because a lot of street language and U.K. dialect is used. Smack is a powerful book and it might be distressing to sensitive readers--I recommend it only for mature readers.

Recommended reading level: Age 13-16

Reviewed by Cynthia McDaniel

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