KYLE M. JOHNSON
STAFF WRITER

Published in 2008, over 60 years after it was written, “And the Hippos were Boiled in their Tanks” reveals the early writing styles of its authors, Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs.

Written a significant amount of time before their most notable novels, Kerouac’s “On the Road” and Burroughs’ “Naked Lunch,” “And the Hippos were Boiled in their Tanks” provides readers with fascinating insights into the Beat Generation’s origins. The novel shares a certain prematurity in contrast to the writers’ respective moments when they reached their prime.

With each writer alternating narrators, Kerouac as Mike Ryko and Burroughs as Will Dennison, the novel tells the story of a group of friends in New York, a few of whom are making efforts at shipping out. As they wait for an opportunity to leave, they spend their free time interacting at bars, each others’ homes, movie theaters and through some of the group’s shared interest in poetry, while experimenting with substances and their sexualities.

The murder subplot, which occurs towards the end of the novel, acts as the main inspiration for the story’s existence. The book is based on a murder which took place among the real-life Beats in the 1940s.

While the writing is not as impressive as the authors’ later works, the plot is enjoyable and the storytelling is easy to become involved with.

The characters, mostly all living intoxicatingly carefree lives, provide a warm, comfortable atmosphere in which readers can feel welcome.

As with most early works by notable writers, “And the Hippos were Boiled in their Tanks” allows readers to, in a sense, time-travel to experience the Beat Generation in its early years.