I was in my buddy Chace’s room with a few other friends, most likely smoking hookah, (don’t worry Wake Forest Police, the hookah is clean, no drugs I promise). Anyhow, I glanced around the room to take in my surroundings, as I always do when presented with a new environment. My eyes fell upon a book on the top shelf of his desk. I got up and walked over to it, letting the title draw me in. The novel was called The Rum Diary and it was by a man named Hunter S. Thompson. “Hey”, I called out to Chace, “isn’t that the guy who wrote Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas?” He told me that it was, and if I enjoyed Fear and Loathing, then I will definitely enjoy this book. Chace lent me the book and I began to read in my spare time.

It occurred to me after a day or two that I didn’t really know much about Hunter S. Thompson at all, so I did what any curious Wake student would do, I Wikipedia-ed him. What came up after the loading screen was a story of a fantastically interesting life, lived at a pace that would make most of our heads spin. A few mouse-clicks down the page was information on a writing style called Gonzo journalism, which Thompson himself invented. For those of you, who have never heard of this type of writing style, let me enlighten you. Gonzo journalism is when the writer plunges himself headfirst into the story he’s covering, reporting on all events that occurred in that place and time. The names, a few of the events and parts of some of the conversation are usually changed to make the story flow better and to retain anonymity. Save for these minor changes, however, everything written in the style of Gonzo journalism actually happened to the writer.

The novel reports in this unique style on Hunter S. Thompson’s time spent in Puerto Rico in the late 1950s and early 60s under the alias of Paul Kemp. This was a time when the United States was first investing in Puerto Rico, when it was nowhere near the hot vacation spot we know it as today. Rather, Puerto Rico during this time period was a third world country, consumed by gangs, alcoholics, dead-beats, extreme poverty and those just trying to scrape together a living off meager earnings. Paul Kemp was responding to a job offer at an American-based newspaper that was on the verge of going bankrupt. What ensued was a drunken debauchery of maddening adventures which Thompson describes with such accuracy and force that it makes the reader feel that they were at Kemp’s side the entire time.

The novel left me wondering the entire time I was reading it, how in the world Thompson would end this book; since it really is a play by play report more than anything. However, he did not leave the reader unsatisfied, as all the characters in the book realize the deep connections they have formed with each other. All of the events that transcend in front of Kemp’s eyes tie up so nicely by the end that it makes it very hard to believe that this was in fact a truthful account. The ending gave me a sense of purpose; that perhaps some things in life actually do happen for a reason. I would recommend this novel to anyone who could and would enjoy a fast-paced and fulfilling read.