Knocked out by this book. Couldn’t put it down. ( )

CW: Drug use ( )

This book is set in Bristol mid 1980s
Main characters are Tar and Gemma two loved up young runaways.
The end up in Bristol squatting they meet some dubious characters along the way.
Gradually they become addicted to Heroin this is the story of how they gradually overcome their addiction and how they try to get their lives back on track.
Not a cheery book but worth a read.
I read this book about 20 years ago 1st time I have ever re read a book. ( )

Harrowing tale of two young adults Tar and Gemma and the paths in their lives that intertwine and lead them to eventually start taking Junk or Heroin. I'm not sure that this is a cautionary tale as such as neither pays the highest price for their addiction but it does demonstrate how easy it is to move from smoking to cannabis to heroin when surrounded by a certain type of people. Also looks at alcoholism, homelessness, prostitution and single parent families, squatting and petty crime such as shoplifting that all go hand in hand with the lower edges of life. Each chapter has a different person's perspective and it isn't always the main character Tar and Gemma's opinion; it is often that of others watching them spiral down or their "friends" who do drugs and how they became involved. A this book is set in the UK, I am not sure how similar a life would be lived by an addict here in Australia but no doubt the filthy squats, the crime and the low quality of life would have comparisons. It would be interesting to compare Stone Girl ( which I hated) to this book ( which I disliked) . ( )

This story had me enthralled from beginning to end. The excitement at the punk music concerts, the young love, the freedom, the manipulating entrapment of drugs, the heartbreaking love of a baby and the way having a child can completely change you. A

A gritty, raw, powerful, emotional roller coaster worth the ride. You'll be angry, you'll laugh, and you'll cry. Burgess doesn't sugar coat anything. I love the realness he portrays of how impressionable and naive teens can be no matter what background you come from or what scene you're in. That no matter what it only takes seconds for your life to spiral out of control. By the end of the book I wanted so badly to sew their lives back together.

As much as parents were outraged that this book was in my school library I think this book catapulted my revulsion of how heroin can ruin lives. Still to this day I've never touched the stuff, beyond that the characters are almost all junkies it's a story about finding out who you really are and accepting it or changing it for the better.

Two points of view in first person: Gemma and Tar. Tar is a runaway from an abusive alcoholic father, a loving street kid with something worth running from. Gemma your typical spoiled brat runaway, nothing really worth running from just looking for rebellion. I loved and hated her character at the same time. The first couple chapters made me want to slap her mouth off and tell her to grow up. Along the way they meet vegan anarchists and all end up squatting in an abandoned house in Bristol. At a big party at the squat they meet a couple who introduce them to smoking heroin, the two young punks think smoking it won't get them addicted but they couldn't be more wrong. Doing whatever means to get their fix.(prostitution, stealing) After attempts to get clean, going cold turkey, failing, and getting caught. Tar takes the blame and goes to prison. Gemma, now pregnant with Tars baby, moves back in with her parents to remain clean. The heart wrenching part in all this to me? She dosent trust tar to stay clean, for almost 4 years. Eventually after release from prison and getting clean from methadone he visits his daughter. ( )