What is most remarkable about Smack are the number of issues that are treated matter-of-factly rather than as issues to be discussed and developed as "themes." This book refuses to be categorized as a "problem novel," though it is rife with problems: alcoholism, abusive relationships, drug abuse, both hetero-and homosexual prostitution, premarital sex, teenage pregnancy, criminal behavior. All of these topics take a back seat to how Gemma and Tar develop as people. The lack of an authoritative narrative voice to condemn such behaviors is the cause of much of the controversy that surrounded this book when it first appeared.

It would not be accurate to say that Burgess is not sensitive to these social problems; however by presenting them by means of the characters involved in them, he requires the readers to use their own moral judgment and interpretive skill to come to some conclusions...