Junk

Description

This is the love story of two runaway teenagers, Gemma and Tar, and their struggles with heroin addiction. Melvin Burgess' most ambitious and complex novel is a multi-faceted and vivid depiction of a group of young people in the grip of addiction. It is told in many different voices, from the addicts themselves to the friends watching from the outside who try to prevent tragedy. It is the winner of the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize.

Author description

Melvin Burgess was born in London and brought up in Surrey and Sussex. He has had a variety of jobs including journalism before becoming a full-time writer. Before his first novel, he had short stories published and a play broadcast on Radio 4. He lives in Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire. Three of his novels have been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal.