Smack by Melvin Burgess

Smack by Melvin Burgess

Fourteen-year-old British runaways become heroin addicts in this gripping story.  No one would be surprised to see Tar runs away from his abusive, alcoholic parents, even though he had no idea where to go or how he would take care of himself.  But when Gemma decides to flee from her overly strict parents to join him, it changes everything.  Through a helpful tobacco storeowner, they find an empty building and decide to join some others in “squatting” there.  After they meet the carefree older teenagers Lily and her boyfriend Rob, life becomes one non-stop party, free of responsibilities, full of sex  and drugs and partying.  Slowly, the couple’s occasional heroin use turns into a full blown addiction, pulling them in directions they never imagined possible.

What most readers love about this “impossible to put down” book is that is doesn’t lecture them about the dangers of drug abuse.  It simply grabs you from the first page and plunges you first-hand into a lifestyle you probably wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy.

I would recommend this to all types of readers, especially those who like gritty, realistic stories about teens living on the dangerous edge of society.

Sara’s Face

Sara’s Face by Melvin Burgess

While I have to say this wasn’t one of my favorite books from this year, it was definitely worth reading.  I ordered it because it’s written by the wildly popular British author of Smack, Melvin Burgess.  Simply put, this is the story of what happens when plastic surgery goes wrong.  Seventeen-year-old Sara is obsessed with being a celebrity, and seems to be willing to do anything to reach this goal.  When the infamous rock star Jonathan Heat, who reminds the reader a little of the late Michael Jackson, takes her under his wing, it appears that all her dreams will come true.  It doesn’t make her nervous that Heat’s own face is so messed up from plastic surgeries that he has to wear a mask to appear any kind of normal.  When she moves into his mansion, though, she finds that the price for beauty may be more than she is willing to pay.

This is a book about vanity, celebrity-obsession, the drive for the perfect look, and the price we sometimes pay to try to serve these goals.  It will certainly make readers think about our current society’s adulation with celebrities and obsession with appearances.