The Rum Diary

All the recent talk about Johnny Depp and his private island have got me thinking about Hunter S. Thompson and the new movie version of 'The Rum Diary.' I like to think of Thompson as a renegade; right up there with Kesney and Kerouac. His no frills writing approach is refreshing. 'The Rum Diary' is a gritty novel, and although it was written when Thompson was only 22, it's easy to see stylistic similarities to his later work.

The story revolves around the life of Paul Kemp, a journalist, writing for a floundering paper in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Kemp has pretty loose morals, rarely backs down from a fight, and is often dodging the police. The Wild West type of setting gives the novel a strange, romantic feel, despite most of the characters being anything but.

While the characters don't feel well developed, the reader is able to follow Paul through many adventures as he struggles to understand what he wants out of his time on the island (and his life). There's the usual heavy drinking and overall madness that can be found in any Thompson novel, but this one's unique because Thompson was basically writing about his own experiences.

The author spent time writing for a newspaper in San Juan and most certainly drank his fair share of rum. Kemp is 30 and older than Thompson would have been, but the hijinks he lands himself in are similar to those of a 22-year-old male. Naked swims, gambling, sleeping with tourists and going to Carnival are actions a young male would take. The link between Kemp and Thompson is their sense of wandering. Kemp is unsure where to go in his life, he's lived all over the world and doesn't seem to be getting anywhere with journalism.

A 22-year-old Thompson surely felt this way. Not knowing what to do next must have been hard for the aspiring writer. The book stands as a testament to this. The author waited until 1998 to have it first published, after many unsuccessful attempts in the 1960s. I recommend reading 'The Rum Diary,' especially if you like Thompson's work. It's a quick, interesting read that allows you to see a very raw version of Hunter S. Thompson's work.