The Rum Diary

It is written in a distinct, comedic, matter-of-fact voice that carries the reader through a fascinating narrative.

Set in Puerto Rico, the protagonist embarks on a Latin journey that is full philosophy and humour while making a statement on the times. It is the perfect book to take travelling, and worth re-reading every few years or so.

Journalists: You had to know you weren't escaping this one without an obligatory ode to the godfather of Gonzo.

I picked this one over Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72 and other classic compendiums simply because it stands apart from most of his other work. The Rum Diary gives us the opportunity to see stretch Hunter stretch legs as a novelist.

Set in beautiful Puerto Rico, the story follows the exploits of a newspaper crew (who else) searching for lowbrow highs while grappling with the existential doom (what else) of a sometimes hopeless vocation.

Hunter rarely misses his… show more.

Paul Kemp, a freelance journalist, finds himself in-between a failing newspaper, unethical development schemes, love, lust, and furious Puerto Ricans while exercising the world’s hardest working liver.

Hunter S Thompson delivers a first-person narrative into the American—Caribbean love affair with San Juan, Puerto Rico in the late fifties. Thompson’s words transcend a modern picture by both detailing the lovely landscapes the Caribbean represents and a deeply personal and humorous collection of experiences and events that let the reader analyze each character, including Kemp, for all their flaws as human beings. Thompson’s style of writing has always made me feel a… show more.