Last spring I wanted to start reading travel memoirs, and I figured who better to begin with than On The Road author Jack Kerouac? In the course of 6 weeks I read 4 of the books he published. On The Road was, predictably, my favourite. However, I’d purchased the “original scroll” version, which I do not recommend. Sure, it was the uncensored rough draft, but it was written with no breaks or paragraphs and was a struggle on the eyes to read. I watched the recent film adaptation of On The Road last summer after reading the novel, and, while I adored the film on its own, it simply did not compare to the book. I know, I know, everyone says that about every adaptation of every book ever, but bear with me. Kerouac’s writing contains a lot of narrative and introspection, and there are limited ways to portray that in a movie. As well, it would’ve been impossible to include everything that Kerouac wrote about in the movie, unless they’d wanted to make a film that was 8 hours long instead of 2. I do recommend watching the movie (before reading the book, if you can!), as it was extremely artistic and well done.
My second favourite Kerouac novel is Big Sur. I became absolutely obsessed with the location it took place in (mostly Big Sur, California, as the title might suggest), and I hope to visit and spend a lot of time there someday. I found The Sea is My Brother to be a quick and easy read. It took place in one setting, and over one day and night, which is unusual for Kerouac. The tone and narration also felt different from his other books – in a good way. I really struggled with The Dharma Bums for some reason. Maybe I’d had my fill of Kerouac by that point, but I simply found it impossible to finish and I ended up skimming almost the entire second half of the book (a tough admission for me, a self-proclaimed reading veteran. I’ve read at least a thousand books in my lifetime and I’ve only ever not-finished 2 books, at most).
Jack Kerouac’s writing simultaneously exhilarated and terrified me. I’m ready to get back into it now, after a 6+ month break, but at the time I read his books I was going through a lot of anxiety and depression, which was reflected back to me in the frenetic way that Kerouac wrote, and in what he himself was going through. However, I was so inspired by his exciting lifestyle, by the efficient way he got himself from the east coast to the west coast, and back again (and again) with practically no money, by his “say yes to anything and everything” attitude, by how he wasn’t afraid to experience life and everything it has to offer. Reading his novels made me want to drive across America, get in a boat and sail, isolate myself in cabin to simply write and explore for weeks on end. I developed quite the love-hate relationship with Kerouac.
I absolutely encourage anyone wanting to start reading travel memoirs, or anyone who wants to become more introspective, to read at least one Jack Kerouac novel. It will no doubt inspire you and get you thinking. Plus, his quotes are some of the most relatable and wonderful quotes I’ve ever come across (as you will learn, I’m obsessed with quotes).
