Junk (Puffin Modern Classics)
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Amazon.co.uk Review
Junk is an extraordinary book, and walks a terrain that is at once terrifying and totally compelling.
Tar and Gemma are in love. Tar has reasons for running away from home that run deep and sour, whereas Gemma, with her middle-class roots firmly on show, has a deep-rooted lust for adventure. Together they explore the dark world of the streets as, together, they explore the dark world of drugs, moving quickly on from the first hit of heroin that takes them towards bliss, to the next hit that ultimately leads to despair.
Melvyn Burgess packs one hell of a punch in Junk, a book that is certainly unnerving in its honesty about two teenagers and their very different reasons for wanting to flee their families and their lives.
The narrative is simple and to the point, adding fire to the characterisation of the two main protagonists as they dive deeper into their love affair with heroin and each other. Burgess hits hard with his convincing handling of controversial subjects ranging from alcohol abuse, prostitution, teenage pregnancy and child abuse, skilfully moving the plot and the characters forward with a pace that mirrors Tar and Gemma's spiralling relationship.
Junk is a must-read for any teenager who enjoys gritty realism and a gutsy, honest approach to the books they read. But be warned, this book is not for the faint-hearted: the language is realistic, the situations are occasionally terrifying, and Burgess certainly does not glamorise any aspect of Tar and Gemma's lifestyle. Parents of teenagers should take a close look too. Age 12 and over--Susan Harrison
Review
Occasionally a 'teenage novel' comes along which makes one reconsider the whole genre and its potential. Such a book is Melvin Burgess's Junk (Robert Dunbar Children's Books in Ireland )
The most talked-about children's book for years (Mail on Sunday )
Brilliantly and sensitively written, it encompasses the raw, savage and ecstatic world of the adolescent mind... a superbly crafted and important book (TES )
Beautifully written (The Times )
The most talked-about children's book for years (Mail on Sunday )
Brilliantly and sensitively written, it encompasses the raw, savage and ecstatic world of the adolescent mind... a superbly crafted and important book (TES )
Beautifully written (The Times )
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
A boy and a girl were spending the night together in the back seat of a Volvo estate car. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
A boy and a girl were spending the night together in the back seat of a Volvo estate car. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
There's a reason why this book won both the Guardian Fiction Award and the Carnegie Medal and that's because it's simply brilliant - a Trainspotting for teenagers. Told in the first person mainly by teens Tar and Gemma and set in Bristol in the early 1980s, it's a very believable look at how two teenagers descend into drugs and whilst it doesn't hide from how drugs make the characters feel, it's also very good at showing what comes along with that high.
What particularly impressed me is the way that Burgess plays with the reader's sympathies. At the beginning of the book, you find yourself really sympathising with the hapless Tar who is running away from two alocholic parents - one of whom emotionally abuses him, the other physically abuses him. Gemma by contrast is shown as being quite selfish - her biggest concern is to get away from two parents whose love is suffocating and she's happy to use Tar as a means of getting away, giving him sex even though she knows that she doesn't love him. As the book progresses however, you see how drugs affect both characters and as Tar steals to fund his habit and Gemma sells her body to fund hers, you become aware of how selfish and hard Tar is becoming and how Gemma is starting to realise that she can't lie to herself much longer. It's particularly interesting to see Gemma become the stronger character towards the end of the book - she's given something to get clean for and she's determined to do it, even though it means having to return to everything she gave up. There's a good contrast here between Gemma and the apparently glamorous Lily who is unable and unwilling to make the same choices and who is revealed to be living in a pathetic state of self-delusion.
Burgess gives other characters, including Lily, her boyfriend Rob, anarchists and squatters Vonny and Richard and tobacco shop owner Skolly to give an additional perspective on Tar and Gemma's story and also to flesh out the attitudes to and affects of taking heroin. The effect is to reinforce the drastic nature of Gemma and Tar's decline and Burgess is not afraid to pull his punches - his look at Gemma, Sally's and Lily's descent into prostitution is chilling. Neither does Burgess pull his punches when it comes to showing how difficult it is to come off heroin - Tar in particular is used to reinforce what an ordeal it is and Burgess doesn't shy away from describing the physical as well as the mental affects and also how the temptation to use is always there, even when the characters have come off the junk.
It's difficult to find anything to criticise about the book - Burgess keeps his character's voices distinct, the story is always kept moving and he doesn't preach to the reader - leaving them to come to their own conclusions. The only possible nitpick that I could think to make relates to the chapters recounted by Tar's father, which draw an interesting parallel between addiction to alcohol and its effects and addiction to smack to show that father and son are closer than Tar wants to think. For me, the reference to alochol, whilst perfectly valid, seemed a little too much like laying it on although that said, the characterisation of Tar's father was very well handled.
Anyone who thinks that their children will find drugs attractive as a result of reading this book is a fool. It's genuinely horrifying and chilling and I don't think that any teenager with half a brain would come away thinking that heroin is a great life choice.
What particularly impressed me is the way that Burgess plays with the reader's sympathies. At the beginning of the book, you find yourself really sympathising with the hapless Tar who is running away from two alocholic parents - one of whom emotionally abuses him, the other physically abuses him. Gemma by contrast is shown as being quite selfish - her biggest concern is to get away from two parents whose love is suffocating and she's happy to use Tar as a means of getting away, giving him sex even though she knows that she doesn't love him. As the book progresses however, you see how drugs affect both characters and as Tar steals to fund his habit and Gemma sells her body to fund hers, you become aware of how selfish and hard Tar is becoming and how Gemma is starting to realise that she can't lie to herself much longer. It's particularly interesting to see Gemma become the stronger character towards the end of the book - she's given something to get clean for and she's determined to do it, even though it means having to return to everything she gave up. There's a good contrast here between Gemma and the apparently glamorous Lily who is unable and unwilling to make the same choices and who is revealed to be living in a pathetic state of self-delusion.
Burgess gives other characters, including Lily, her boyfriend Rob, anarchists and squatters Vonny and Richard and tobacco shop owner Skolly to give an additional perspective on Tar and Gemma's story and also to flesh out the attitudes to and affects of taking heroin. The effect is to reinforce the drastic nature of Gemma and Tar's decline and Burgess is not afraid to pull his punches - his look at Gemma, Sally's and Lily's descent into prostitution is chilling. Neither does Burgess pull his punches when it comes to showing how difficult it is to come off heroin - Tar in particular is used to reinforce what an ordeal it is and Burgess doesn't shy away from describing the physical as well as the mental affects and also how the temptation to use is always there, even when the characters have come off the junk.
It's difficult to find anything to criticise about the book - Burgess keeps his character's voices distinct, the story is always kept moving and he doesn't preach to the reader - leaving them to come to their own conclusions. The only possible nitpick that I could think to make relates to the chapters recounted by Tar's father, which draw an interesting parallel between addiction to alcohol and its effects and addiction to smack to show that father and son are closer than Tar wants to think. For me, the reference to alochol, whilst perfectly valid, seemed a little too much like laying it on although that said, the characterisation of Tar's father was very well handled.
Anyone who thinks that their children will find drugs attractive as a result of reading this book is a fool. It's genuinely horrifying and chilling and I don't think that any teenager with half a brain would come away thinking that heroin is a great life choice.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is one of the best books I have ever read.It copes with so many teen problems. It is frank and realistic and you can relate with the charachters. It's main focus is addiction but also deals with teenage mothers,prostitution and living on the street. The plot is great. The characters are very good and different until heroin becomes they're life. The language the author uses is realistic. So many authors aiming they're books at teens try not to swear and so forth. But what they have to understand is that teens DO swear and Burgess uses slang which teens use. This book leaves you feeling sad but if you want a reason not to be a junkie this will show you them as well as providing a exciting story line. I read it when i was 12 and it made me depressed but I was very pleased I read it. People of that age should be able to read it. I think most 12 year olds can cope with it though I probabally wouldn't reccomend it to anyone younger than 10 or 11 because they may not understand some of it.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I thought the book was amazing and felt that I was pulled into it. I could not put it down. I remember reading it at school and watching the tv film based onit. I have been searching for that film for ages and was wondering if you could tell me where to find it?
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
ABSOLUTE BRILLIANCE
Junk is a brilliant insight into the consequences of drug abuse and living life on the edge (and maybe going over it). A great read for both young and older readers. Read more
Published 1 month ago by teen reader
An Example of GOOD teen fiction
This book is good for several reasons:
1 - It isn't patronising
2 - Is written in a first person narrative which is believable
3 - The language and ideologues of the... Read more
1 - It isn't patronising
2 - Is written in a first person narrative which is believable
3 - The language and ideologues of the... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Nathan Davey
Utterly addictive.
This book is fantastic. This is the 3rd time i have read it and it still drags me in as much as it did the first time. Read more
Published 4 months ago by StaceBase
Not just for teenagers!!!!
Studied this as part of my degree and have read it again since then!! VGood for adults and teenagers alike.
Published 5 months ago by Gill
Great for teens
I read this a few years ago when I was trying to write a book about drug use and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I found the book to be very interesting and compelling - a page turner. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Stepping Out of the Page
Absolutely gripping from the first page!
What an amazing book, bought this one a couple of days ago and im hooked now. just because it says teenage fiction dont be put off from buying this book. amazing 10/10
Published 18 months ago by Jake Guest
Why is this book considered good reading for kids?
I found this book to be totally unsuitable for teenagers, although I know it is embraced by some schools for being 'controversial'. Read more
Published 19 months ago by dizzykiggle
A must read.
This book has a really gripping storyline, and the plot twists are really shocking. Because the book has such a controversial theme, the characters and settings really stand out. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Adam Cook
Great Read for Teens
Got this for my 14 year old. He thoroughly enjoyed it and was able to tell me in detail the story line. He would recommend it to his peer group.
Published 24 months ago by B. Charman-Gay
Gritty and Realistic and controversial, Burgess excels himself.
When i picked this book up in the shop, i knew i was in for another one of Burgess's famously gritty and hard hitting stories, and i was not wrong. Read more
Published on 26 Feb 2010 by Mrs. L. A. Else
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