''Junk'', known as ''Smack'' in the US, is a realistic novel for young adults, written by British author

Melvin Burgess Melvin Burgess (born 25 April 1954) is a British writer of children's fiction. He became famous in 1996 with the publication of '' Junk'', about heroin-addicted teenagers on the streets of Bristol. In Britain, ''Junk'' became one of the best-kn ...

and published in

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

by Andersen in the UK. Set on the streets of

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, England, it features two runaway teenagers who join a group of

squatters Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...

, where they fall into

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brow ...

addiction and embrace

anarchism Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not necessa ...

. Both critically and commercially, it is the best received of Burgess' novels. Yet it was unusually controversial at first, criticised negatively for its 'how-to' aspect, or its dark realism, or its moral relativism. Burgess won the annual Carnegie Medal from the

Library Association The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, since 2017 branded CILIP: The library and information association (pronounced ), is a professional body for librarians, information specialists and knowledge management, knowle ...

, recognising the year's outstanding children's book by a British author. For the 70th anniversary of the Medal, in 2007, ''Junk'' was named one of the Top 10 winning works, selected by a panel to compose the ballot for a public election of the all-time favourite. ''Junk'' also won the

Guardian Children's Fiction Prize The Guardian Children's Fiction Prize or Guardian Award was a literary award that annual recognised one fiction book written for children or young adults (at least age eight) and published in the United Kingdom. It was conferred upon the author ...

, a similar award that authors may not win twice; it is the latest of six books to win both awards. In the US, Henry Holt published the novel in 1997 as ''Smack'' — another slang term for

Plot summary

''Junk'' is told in the first person, with each chapter having a different character narrating. At the beginning of the story, fourteen-year old Gemma Brogan is spending time with David 'Tar' Lawson, a boy of the same age. Tar is a victim of

physical abuse Physical abuse is any intentional act causing injury or trauma to another person or animal by way of bodily contact. In most cases, children are the victims of physical abuse, but adults can also be victims, as in cases of domestic violence or wo ...

at the hands of his father, and — as he later realises —

emotional abuse Emotions are mental states brought on by neurophysiological changes, variously associated with thoughts, feelings, behavioral responses, and a degree of pleasure or displeasure. There is currently no scientific consensus on a definition. E ...

from his mother. Both of his parents are

alcoholics Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomina ...

. After a particularly violent incident, he decides to run away to Bristol, even though he knows no-one there and has no money. Gemma, despite having loving (albeit strict) parents, also decides to leave home and join Tar in Bristol shortly afterwards. In Bristol, Tar sleeps rough, interacting regularly only with Skolly, a local newsagent who likes his naive, trusting attitude. Skolly eventually introduces Tar to Richard, an absent-minded,

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. Di ...

anarchist, who opens up abandoned houses for use as squats. Tar joins Richard and his friends Vonny, an eighteen-year old 'motherly' woman; and her boyfriend Jerry, who is described as a bit useless. Between them, the young adults support Tar financially in order to keep him safe and away from his father, even though it is illegal. Gemma comes 'to visit', intending to stay. Vonny is frustrated by this, as she does not see it as the same situation; they are protecting Tar, but Gemma is unafraid and merely wants a more 'interesting' life. Vonny reluctantly allows Gemma to remain with them, but she insists that both teenagers notify their families from a telephone box that they are safe. Tar is happy with their situation, but Gemma gradually grows more restless, wanting to find some people their own age. The adults decide after a few weeks that Gemma must return home. Richard holds a 'farewell' party in the abandoned house and, to Vonny's chagrin, he invites Lily and Rob, a couple whom she suspects to be on hard drugs. Gemma is enamoured with Lily from the moment she sees her. The two girls connect instantly, and Lily invites the pair to stay the night with them. Whilst they are there, Lily and Rob encourage Gemma and Tar to smoke heroin with them, and they do, believing that only smoking it will not get them addicted. The pair are subsequently invited to live with Lily and Rob, and they do. Tar and Gemma live with Lily and Rob for a long time, and in the early days, it is all fun. They have frequent parties,

shoplift Shoplifting is the theft of goods from an open retail establishment, typically by concealing a store item on one's person, in pockets, under clothes or in a bag, and leaving the store without paying. With clothing, shoplifters may put on items ...

to feed themselves, and heat their house with fuel from skips. They know all the local squatters and drug-users, becoming particularly close to Sally, another girl their age. However, their heroin-smoking habit quickly turns into long-term addiction. Eventually, the girls become

prostitutes Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...

to fund their habit. After an event involving a friend who

overdoses A drug overdose (overdose or OD) is the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities much greater than are recommended.

at their home, the police arrest Tar. He is sent to a

drug rehabilitation Drug rehabilitation is the process of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and street drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, heroin or amphetamines. The general inte ...

centre as an alternative to prison, and receives treatment. Through counselling, he also faces some of the trauma he has endured. He leaves the centre clean, determined to stay off drugs, but he uses heroin almost immediately once he arrives back at the squat. Lily, who does not work in the massage parlours as Gemma and Sally do, and instead works on the street with the protection of Rob, discovers she is pregnant. She decides to keep the baby, and the five of them vow to get clean. They travel to

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

, with the aim of getting themselves away from heroin and detoxing in a safe environment. However, the trip quickly falls apart. Rob and Sally both smuggle some heroin along with them, Tar hitchhikes back to Bristol on the second day, and Lily discovers Rob's heroin and injects some herself. Gemma initially resists, but once she realises she is the only one still trying to stop using drugs, she starts using them again. They return to Bristol, scared by what they have realised about their addictions: that they truly cannot stop just because they want to. In time, Lily has the baby and continues to inject heroin whilst the baby is breastfeeding. Meanwhile, Rob starts

cottaging Cottaging is a gay slang term, originating from the United Kingdom, referring to anonymous sex between men in a public lavatory (a "cottage", "tea-room"Andre "tearoom; t-room ''noun'' a public toilet. From an era when a great deal of homosexual c ...

himself in public toilets, to fund their habit. Tar has totally changed; the naive, joyful person he once was, has been replaced by someone who lies to and steals from his friends and even from Gemma. Both boys become

drug dealer A drug is any chemical substance A chemical substance is a form of matter having constant chemical composition and characteristic properties. Some references add that chemical substance cannot be separated into its constituent elements by ...

s. They have a traumatic experience when they discover a friend and his girlfriend dead after overdosing. However, they do nothing to alert the authorities, instead just stealing their drug stash. The catalyst comes when Gemma realises that she, too, is pregnant. After a particularly vulnerable moment with Lily, who non-verbally admits she is overwhelmed, Gemma realises that she cannot let the same thing happen to her own baby. She leaves the house in the middle of the night and phones the police, telling them the address of the house and that it is being used to deal drugs. Tar, Rob and Lily are arrested, and Tar takes the rap again, which means he is given a custodial sentence. Meanwhile, Gemma locates Vonny and asks for her help. She allows Vonny to get in touch with her parents, who come to the hospital where she has been admitted with severe

withdrawal symptoms Drug withdrawal, drug withdrawal syndrome, or substance withdrawal syndrome, is the group of symptoms that occur upon the abrupt discontinuation or decrease in the intake of pharmaceutical or recreational drugs. In order for the symptoms of with ...

. For the first time in three-and-a-half years, the Brogans are reunited with their daughter, who asks to come home. Gemma returns to live in her hometown drug-free. She gives birth to her daughter Oona, whilst waiting for Tar to come out of prison. However, once he is released, Gemma realises that she no longer feels the same way about Tar, and they end their relationship. The reader learns that Tar ends up forcing his way into Gemma's home and hits her at least once, in a bleak

repetition Repetition may refer to: * Repetition (rhetorical device), repeating a word within a short space of words *Repetition (bodybuilding), a single cycle of lifting and lowering a weight in strength training *Working title for the 1985 slasher film '' ...

of his own father's behaviour. Gemma remains free of heroin, once she has gone through withdrawal, whereas Tar finds it much more difficult and slips several times, even though he is on

methadone Methadone, sold under the brand names Dolophine and Methadose among others, is a synthetic opioid agonist used for chronic pain and also for opioid dependence. It is used to treat chronic pain, and it is also used to treat addiction to heroin ...

. The story ends with Tar having a new girlfriend and seeing Oona occasionally whilst lamenting the life he lost, still craving heroin and still holding onto the hope that Gemma will one day agree to renew their romantic relationship.

Characters in ''Junk''

*David 'Tar' Lawson - fourteen years old at the start of the book. Abused by his father, he is never proud of taking drugs but becomes a heroin addict after discovering that the drug helps him forget the abuse he has endured. *Gemma Brogan - Tar's girlfriend, a rebellious fourteen-year old, who runs away with him. She later becomes a prostitute and a heroin addict. *Richard - an anarchist and left-wing activist who helps Gemma and Tar find somewhere to live. He is in his twenties. *Vonny - eighteen-year old anarchist who lives with Richard and Jerry, who ultimately helps Gemma along the path to rehabilitation. *Jerry - boyfriend of Vonny, lives with Richard and Vonny in the squat. *Lily - a fifteen-year old heroin addict who takes a liking to Gemma. She grew up in the care system and it is hinted that she, too, suffered abuse. *Rob - sixteen-year old addict boyfriend of Lily. He has had a transient upbringing. *Sally - a good friend of Lily and Rob, also addicted to heroin. *Mr. and Mrs Brogan - Gemma's parents *Mr. and Mrs Lawson - Tar's parents *Skolly - a tobacconist who introduces Tar to Richard. He later pays for sexual services from Gemma, although he does not realise who she is.

Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

''Junk'' has been adapted for the theatre by John Retallack (published by Methuen ). It was also made into a television drama in 1999, as part of the BBC's ''

Scene Scene (from Ancient Greek, Greek σκηνή ''skēnḗ'') may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music *Scene (subculture), a youth subculture from the early 2000s characterized by a distinct music and style. Groups and performers * The S ...

'' series for teenagers. ''Junk'' also been revised as of 2003, with the new title of ''Smack'', and it is often used as a thesis basis for drama (GCSE and A level) examinations.

Notes

References

External links