The Rum Diary by Hunter S. Thompson

Another one of those names that gets tossed around in the 'classics' group for you this week in the form of Hunter S. Thompson. Having never read any work by him before, I was quite excited to come across this in the charity box at the end of the last year (yes I know it's taken me awhile to get there!). I have to say mind it was one of the best charity boxes that we have got so far. It was literally full to the brim of classics, be it Penguin classics or other titles I have been hearing about for years and years. In there even was my favourite novel, In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. 

The Rum Diary... he was quite dishy when he was younger....

Being as naive as I can be sometimes about novels and their authors, I presumed that The Rum Diary would be another one of Thompson's novels based upon his investigative journalism ways. I was mistaken however on researching the book a little before I began reading it. Whilst Thompson did live in Puerto Rico and work there as a journalist for a paper, most of the characters and plotlines were fictional. I am a huge fan of journalism books, as I said about 5 lines ago, Truman Capote's In Cold Blood is my absolute favourite. Disappointed as I was, I thought it was time I should get around to reading one of Thompson's novels, so I pursued to turn to the first page.

After the first 10 pages, I was still quite not getting how it wasn't based completely on fact. It all seemed so real, the context, the sheer honesty of the main character Paul Kemp and the realness of the other lost male souls all felt so lifelike. I could picture them all in the stuffy, hot offices, drinking rum until they passed out and avoiding the locals on the way home. I truly respect any writer that drops me into a scene as a fly on the wall, happily watching as the action passes by. Thompson had done this within the first 10 pages for me,

Being quite a small novel, I was soon rattling my way through it. The pace of the novel never relents. I was never bored reading it, there was never a long description or tedious conversation throughout. Every single world set the scene and threw me straight in at the deep end with the action. Following the man character Paul Kemp as he moves to 1960s Puerto Rico to be a journalist. As with many books that I seem to be reading at the moment, there is a feeling of dread and impending doom throughout. And boy does it hit at the end. But I won't spoil it for you. 

....he didn't age well mind! 

Another feature of all the novels I seem to reading at the moment is how many of the male characters have a steady addiction to alcohol. But they all seem to find it so normal. Thompson casually references many periods of the characters drinking, whether it be at bars, hotels, in the office or even at a huge festival on a nearby island. He subtly links into this the loneliness and isolation of the male souls portrayed in the novel. It is quite sad to read about to many men who have literally been washed up on the shores of Puerto Rico men with dreams and hopes, only to have them crushed. And so comes the excessive consumption of rum. 

Whilst the life of the journalists seems all fun and games, and makes my life among many others seem rather boring, it is something that I find quite scary. Being washed up on a foreign shore full of dreams of the future in a sunny paradise only to find it is nothing like it is publicised is truly terrible. And to them only have rum to pass to help pass the time as the impending doom hits can never be a comfort. Thank goodness we have writers like Thompson to educate and document times like these so we can hopefully we avoid times of people being isolated and disconnected from the world. Unless you are Russian of course. 

A highly engaging read that you will finish from cover to cover in two days at the most, Thompson held my attention from start to finish. I could feel the scenes dripping of the page and I could picture it at every point. I can only hope my review of a masterpiece holds your attention for half as long. 

The Rum Diary is published by Bloomsbury in the UK, available on Amazon.