Book Description
The book is just out so there aren’t any reviews as of yet. However, here are a couple of ‘review-like’ pieces.
‘Walk Good’ is an adventure travel story chronicling the experiences of the author in Negril, Jamaica. It’s an escape to the sunny beaches, the seas and the mountain back roads of the Island. The culture of the Island, including the food, the music, a smattering of history and the character of the people
form the backdrop of the story. Join the author for a stay at the notorious Hedonism resort, an ‘adult-only’ adventure. Scuba dive in the crystal clear emerald waters of Negril, attend a mass nude wedding on the beach in Runaway Bay and take a trip to Bob Marley’s mausoleum in the high green hills of St Ann Parish.’
‘Walk Good is pure adult-oriented escapism. Take an exotic Caribbean vacation without leaving your armchair’.
Jamaicans.com Book Club Book Review by Mountaingal
Walk Good is an affectionate look at the people and places of Negril by one Roland “Thomas” Reimer, self styled expert on Bob Marley lyrics and the perfect conch shell. Reimer’s semi-fictional account of his journey to the fabled seven-mile-beach town — ostensibly to get married — is packed with humourous adventures and encounters with characters of both the local and visitor varieties.
The first part of the book deals with Reimer’s final bachelor days in Negril. It’s a convenient platform for his vignettes of diving, fishing and partying with various Negrillites. These stories no doubt gathered from his various trips to the area over the years. Meet Danny, whose lack of the latest in scuba equipment doesn’t stop him diving to scary depths; the Jerks, obnoxious but essentially naive “good ole boys” from Toronto; and a cast of hustlers and survivors making a living on the beach yet not too busy to stop and exchange pleasantries with a curious and laid back white man.
The second part of the book goes into Thomas’s wedding, where he’s transformed from beachcomber to prospective groom and protective father of teen daughters. The scene switches to the all-inclusive Negril experience, and Reimer provides a funny look at the goings on at the wacky Hedonism II. Note#1: reports on hot tub activities are not for the faint of hygiene. There’s also an account of the infamous nude mass wedding, which, with Reimer’s keen and cynical eye, is seen as for the publicity stunt it was (attended by no less than the head of Superclubs- though, it must be said, fully dressed). Underlying all this is a rather sweet story of a guy getting hitched to the love of his life, and introducing her to the paradise that is Negril.
The Thomas in the book is one step beyond the usual repeat tourist: he’s the guy who goes outsidethe comfort zones and gets behind the facades of the huts and shops to see and understand what life is like for locals. The book is refreshingly short on the sentimentalized (and therefore patronizing) view of Jamaicans that some Jamaica lovers can develop.
Overall, Reimer has an easy style that makes the book a quick and absorbing read. However, there are some iffy historical references — it’s sure to be news to Jamaicans that “almost all of the major slave uprisings in Jamaica were led by Obeah men…”
But these lapses are more than compensated for by the healthy sprinkling of Jamaican proverbs throughout the book. The proverbs are helpfully explained at the end (Note #2: “Mi come yah fe drink milk, me no come yah fe count cow”, doesn’t mean I’m minding my own business; it means
that I come to get what I can, not to do any work.)
Walk Good is a nifty travelogue and handbook for those who want to take a little more of Negril on its own terms.
