The Rum Diaries

Hunter Thompson's first novel. The book was finally published in 1998 after Thompson was already a monumental success.

Once I picked it up, I couldn't set it down. Seriously, I tried to sleep. Finally, around 5 in the morning I set myself to finishing the book, and only then could I manage some shut eye.

Thompson has not fully developed his Gonzo style, but in this work we can already see signs of the vitriol found in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. The book is a fast paced account of the fall of a small Caribbean newspaper and a wonderfully woven love affair. No drugs, but enough rum to drown us all, police brutality, sex, political corruption. Great read. Lots of fun.