Smack is narrated by ten different voices, but Gemma's and Tar's voices dominate, which is fitting because they are the central characters of the novel. Burgess's strategy of using multiple first-person narrators demands that readers pay close attention to what the characters say about themselves, and each other, and demands that readers be sensitive to the irony of these statements.

Tar (his real name is David, though Gemma calls him Tar because he disapproves of her cigarette smoking) runs away from his home because of his alcoholic parents. His father, a schoolteacher, beats him. His mother manipulates him into hiding her own alcoholism by doing the household chores and protecting Tar from his father. Tar's father recognizes his wife's alcoholism and manipulative behavior but does not understand how to deal with the problems. So he beats Tar to try to prevent him from helping...