And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks

Written in 1945, when Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs both were unknown and unpublished, "Hippos" isn't a literary gem. But the novel is spellbinding, nonetheless, because of its raw take on what would become an iconic cultural and literary phenomenon. The story takes place in New York City near the end of World War II, and is a fictionalized account of the Aug. 14, 1944, stabbing death of their friend, David Kammerer, by another friend, Lucien Carr. The homicide made front-page news for a week, and both Kerouac and Burroughs were briefly arrested for keeping the crime a secret.

Burroughs himself said the novel wasn't "well written or interesting," and it's hard to argue with his assessment. It's a meandering, stream-of-consciousness tale with Burroughs and Kerouac writing alternate chapters as a build-up to the strapping young Phillip Tourian's murder of his older friend, mentor and compulsive stalker Ramsay Allen. Students of the Beat Generation would do best to keep expectations low: Burroughs was 31 when the book was written, and Kerouac was 23. But with spot-on dialogue and descriptions of seedy bars and jam-packed apartments, the authors serve up a fascinating look at a time of late night parties, casual sex and a devil-may-care approach to life.

JACKIE CROSBY, BUSINESS REPORTER