Review: Smashed by Andy Robb

Smashed
Andy Robb
UCLan Publishing, 2021
Paperback, £7.99
ISBN 9781912979400

Smashed is a snapshot of the life of Jamie, who turns 16 as we join his story. He has a best friend, Adil and a girlfriend, Nadia. He also has a dark secret he is keeping from them, and from the reader at first. At home, things are not going well. From the first pages, Jamie’s father looms large as we are told that “something” happened, with references to “The Night Everything Gone Weird”. Jamie deals with this by pushing those closest to him away. He sees it as his duty, the “Weight of Manhood”, to be there for his mother and his younger sister Bex. However, Jamie continues to be overwhelmed and put in the undesirable position of mediator between his parents. This leads him to make some poor decisions.

The narration brings us right inside Jamie’s head and it’s a frantic place to be at times. He is trying his best to be a responsible older brother and son, but when those responsibilities become too much, he in turn becomes reliant on negative influences to try to ease the pressure.

My heart broke for Jamie as he seemed to be a decent teenager with such a weight on him. This is a tense read at times. Readers should be aware that there are discussions of physical abuse as well as scenes of alcohol abuse.

Derek Carney