Product Description

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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12406 in Books
• Published on: 2003-02-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

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
This uncompromising novel for mature teenagers is a distressing story (based on real events) of two teenagers who run away from home and get caught in a downward spiral of heroin addiction and prostitution. Not for the fainthearted; recommended reading for parents of teenagers as much as the teenagers themselves. (15 yrs +) (Kirkus UK)

About the Author
Melvin Burgess was born in London in 1954. He began to train as a journalist but left after six months. He has had a variety of jobs as diverse as bricklaying and silk-screen printing. An Enterprise Allowance Scheme gave him the chance to develop his writing and his books for children are very highly regarded. Melvin lives in Lancashire.

Customer Reviews

Brutally honest, beautiful and desperately saddening
I first read Junk shortly after its initial release, when I was 16, and it took my breath away with its stark portrayal of teenage lives which had been touched by appalling tragedy, both self-inflicted and not. Many years later I am still in awe of it. As far as literature for the younger reader goes, I cannot think of a more impressive, important novel.

The plot itself is simple enough: two teenagers run away from home and fall rapidly into a downward spiral of crime, drugs, prostitution and prison. What makes Junk so fascinating is the glorious depth of the characters, and how Burgess has managed to artfully create a cast of believable, interesting people - each with something to say, and a different perspective to say it from (with a sensible use of multiple first-person narrative to highlight this).

From my own teenage perspective, I was thrilled to find a novel aimed at my generation which did not talk down to me nor ignore the obvious, if uncomfortable, truths inherent in the subject matter. The reasons for the poor choices the characters make are clearly defined, and the strong allure of heroin is not glossed over as though it were insignificant. A significant amount of time is dedicated to explaining what it is that makes the kids in the story think that drug abuse, robbery and prostitution are good ideas before their fallacious reasoning is comprehensively destroyed by the consequences of their decisions. The single chapter written from the skewed perspective of Lily (the seductive character who draws our runaways into the life in question like heroin personified - a theme which is continued in the increasingly ugly, acrimonious relationship they share) is a mini masterpiece in itself, painting a brilliant picture of a vivacious, yet irreparably damaged young girl who has fooled herself and those around her into thinking she's found all the answers when in reality she is utterly lost. The gradual revelation that this enticing, confident young woman is actually a terrified, isolated little girl is the most devastating case the book could make against heroin addiction.

Given that they are the age group most vulnerable to these realities, most stories told to teenagers about these subjects are far too simplified, choosing to paint drug addicts and their ilk as bad people deserving of scorn, never explaining how they ended up the way they are, but that kind of patronising tone never seeps into Junk. Each character here can be loved and hated in equal measure, and all of them will have the reader's sympathy - even when they are appallingly racist and a borderline paedophile, in the case of one very complicated tobacconist. What is for certain is that nobody who reads Junk will forget in a hurry the complex, vibrant, brilliantly realised people that fill its pages with both laughter and despair. I missed Tar and Gemma as though they were my own friends when I finished Junk for the first time, and I can pay it no higher compliment than that.

There are no easy answers, and there are no fairytale endings in Burgess' world. What we have instead is a compelling, heart-breaking story about good people making bad decisions and having to live with the ensuing regret as best they can. This is an absolute must for all adventurous young readers, and for their parents too - it could well give each of those two groups an entirely fresh perspective on their lives.

juunk
i'm 16, and i read alot of books & this was honestly the best book i have ever come across in my whole life, i could not put it down, its gripping and amazing, honestly read it, it makes you think about life and it's so well wrote.
it's a story about a boy and a girl who run away and get involved with drugs and the struggles they go through, at times its depressing and its uplifting

One of the greatest books of all time...
I never read Junk until i was in my late teens/early twenties and it is still my favourite book now.
I love the story of Tar and Gemma. I like the way Melvin Burgess writes as the different people within the story and each chapter is told from a different perspective.
Melvin's take on teenage life is spot on and the way he gets the social issues across is fantastic.

It's a book I can read over and over again and as soon as I open to the first page I don't put the book down until i've finished it.

Everyone should read this book!!!!

He has a unique way of writing and i'm currently working my way through as many of his books as I can manage.