Fiction

Tree Of Smoke

Tree Of Smoke

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  • Create Date：2021-07-31 09:56:22
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Denis Johnson
  • ISBN：0330449214
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Summary

Set in South-East Asia and the US， and spanning two decades， this is the story of Skip Sands， a CIA spy who may or may not be engaged in psychological operations against the Viet Cong; it is also the story of Skip's uncle， the Colonel， who is CIA as well， and either misunderstood or mad; and then there's Eddie， Voss and Jimmy， who Skip runs into - or from - every now and again: he doesn't know whose side they're on， but he does know it's not necessarily his。
Taking the reader on a surreal yet vivid journey， Tree of Smoke （the name given to a 'psy op' that might or might not be hypothetical and might or might not be officially sanctioned） is Denis Johnson's most gripping， visionary and ambitions work to date。

Selected as top five fiction 2007 by the New York Times Book Review。

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Reviews

Alexander Theofanidis ，

F*ck yeah！Once upon a time there was a war 。 。 。 and a young American who thought of himself as the Quiet American and the Ugly American， and who wished to be neither， who wanted instead to be the Wise American， or the Good American， but who eventually came to witness himself as the Real American and finally as simply the Fucking American。 That's me。This is the story of Skip Sands—spy-in-training， engaged in Psychological Operations against the Vietcong—and the disasters that befall him thanks t F*ck yeah！Once upon a time there was a war 。 。 。 and a young American who thought of himself as the Quiet American and the Ugly American， and who wished to be neither， who wanted instead to be the Wise American， or the Good American， but who eventually came to witness himself as the Real American and finally as simply the Fucking American。 That's me。This is the story of Skip Sands—spy-in-training， engaged in Psychological Operations against the Vietcong—and the disasters that befall him thanks to his famous uncle， a war hero known in intelligence circles simply as the Colonel。 This is also the story of the Houston brothers， Bill and James， young men who drift out of the Arizona desert into a war in which the line between disinformation and delusion has blurred away。 In its vision of human folly， and its gritty， sympathetic portraits of men and women desperate for an end to their loneliness， whether in sex or death or by the grace of God， this is a story like nothing in our literature。 。。。more

Michael Finocchiaro ，

Denis Johnson is an interesting writer and his take on Vietnam is fascinating。 I have read two collections of short stories， Jesus' Son - this one I found was sort of like if William S Bourroughs had written Trainspotting - and Train Dreams - this one was more poetic and reflective。 In Tree of Smoke， I found a blend of these two characteristics - the battle scenes and the rough lifestyle particularly of the Houston brothers and the realistic， rapidfire dialogue of the former and the interior dia Denis Johnson is an interesting writer and his take on Vietnam is fascinating。 I have read two collections of short stories， Jesus' Son - this one I found was sort of like if William S Bourroughs had written Trainspotting - and Train Dreams - this one was more poetic and reflective。 In Tree of Smoke， I found a blend of these two characteristics - the battle scenes and the rough lifestyle particularly of the Houston brothers and the realistic， rapidfire dialogue of the former and the interior dialog particularly of Skip as in the latter。 In fact， I would say that the book is predominantly dialog and the realism of the exchanges， a nearly Hemingway quality to them， is what pushed me to give this one five stars。 I think that I found this book， a Pulitzer runnerup， superior to the Pulitzer winner of 2008 The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao which was ok， but not as powerful or as well written as this one。The protagonist， Skip， is a young agent of the CIA whose father was killed at Pearl Harbor and is stationed in the Philippines。 His uncle is a Colonel and Skip's mentor and boss。 A dark mission goes down which Skip is unwittingly a part of before heading to Vietnam。 The relationship between the Colonel and Skip is the central one in the book。 There is a galaxy of other interesting characters to enrich the story。 I enjoyed the battle scenes as well as the descriptions of the various locales where the story takes place。 On the whole， it is a compelling read and is one of my preferred novels that deals with the Vietnam War。 。。。more

Kris Morley ，

I found this book on a list of "100 Essential Novels。" Soon after starting， I questioned if I would finish。 I plowed ahead。 I mentally decided to give it a 2 star rating， then 3， and finally a 4。 There's a lot of sadness in the book。 Most of the character are despicable。 There's nothing uplifting。 Yet。。。。。 The story takes place in Vietnam from 1963-1970。 The characters- CIA operatives， soldiers， aid workers， locals- sure didn't have many uplifting experiences in their lives。 I think what kept me I found this book on a list of "100 Essential Novels。" Soon after starting， I questioned if I would finish。 I plowed ahead。 I mentally decided to give it a 2 star rating， then 3， and finally a 4。 There's a lot of sadness in the book。 Most of the character are despicable。 There's nothing uplifting。 Yet。。。。。 The story takes place in Vietnam from 1963-1970。 The characters- CIA operatives， soldiers， aid workers， locals- sure didn't have many uplifting experiences in their lives。 I think what kept me engaged was the few stories that my husband shared from his time as an Infantry officer there。 That， and my own experiences as an officer， enabled me to appreciate the characters and the circumstances。Would I recommend this book？ Probably not。 But， it was a rewarding read for me。 。。。more

Andre ，

Sometimes hallucinating - as the movie Apocalyps Now

Justin Oxsen ，

Johnson was a true novelist。

Fernando Hisi ，

Esse é um boommm livro ruim。 Ruim porque se perde tanto no decorrer da história， no tom， em quão sério ele se leva。 Em algumas boas partes， me lembrou algo mais compromissado que o Cryptonomicon do Stephenson， nas partes ruins pareceu filme b sobre guerra do vietnã， que tentou muito e ficou só sendo uma chatice na floresta com um monte de ator que você nunca ouviu falar na vida。O mais maluco do livro é que ele é perdido e confuso como o próprio assunto que retrata e se você compra essa idéia e m Esse é um boommm livro ruim。 Ruim porque se perde tanto no decorrer da história， no tom， em quão sério ele se leva。 Em algumas boas partes， me lembrou algo mais compromissado que o Cryptonomicon do Stephenson， nas partes ruins pareceu filme b sobre guerra do vietnã， que tentou muito e ficou só sendo uma chatice na floresta com um monte de ator que você nunca ouviu falar na vida。O mais maluco do livro é que ele é perdido e confuso como o próprio assunto que retrata e se você compra essa idéia e mergulha nele， ele te pega。 Talvez sejo outro bom paralelo com o próprio assunto que retrata。 Depois que você se alistou e está num navio rumo ao vietnã， o que mais você pode fazer que não ir até o fim， seja qual for esse fim？Lembrei em alguns momentos do "Da 5 Bloods" do Spike Lee。 Dos monólogos insandecidos do Delroy Lindo na floresta e uma ou outra cena que não fica claro o que está acontecendo。 Esse filme foi tão decepcionante nos seus piores momentos。 Como eu gostaria que o Lee fosse mais próximo dessa linha inquisitória， desse tipo de fantasia。 Claro， com as devidas necessárias adaptações， mas。。。Parece mesmo， como li em alguns reviews， mais uma série de pequenos contos de diferentes personagens do que propriamente um romance tradicional， e acho que tudo bem。 Tem uma ou outra passagem aqui boa o suficiente para aparecer de vez em quando na minha memória。 Esse é realmente um bom livro ruim。 。。。more

TallboyScottShewan ，

A goddamn masterpiece。

Holly ，

Epic of the Vietnam war， 1963-1983。 Two brothers from Arizona， Bill and James Houston， young men from a poor and uneducated background， enlist for the Vietnam war。 While Bill drifts from one unfortunate and sad situation to the next， eventually returning to Arizona with a dishonorable discharge， pretty much homeless， destitute and unemployable， his brother James serves two stints， as part of a small contingent of soldiers who are protecting Colonel Sands's interest in physiological warfare。This Epic of the Vietnam war， 1963-1983。 Two brothers from Arizona， Bill and James Houston， young men from a poor and uneducated background， enlist for the Vietnam war。 While Bill drifts from one unfortunate and sad situation to the next， eventually returning to Arizona with a dishonorable discharge， pretty much homeless， destitute and unemployable， his brother James serves two stints， as part of a small contingent of soldiers who are protecting Colonel Sands's interest in physiological warfare。This book was a huge disappointment for me， esp after reading Johnson's earlier books。 Multiple times I had to fight the urge to throw the book across the room: Maybe half of this 700 page tome is about Skip Sands， who pretty much does nothing。 He sits around mostly alone w/ his servants in a remote house reading French literature and philosophy while waiting for his uncle and country to tell him what to do。。。while his uncle Colonel Sands is trying to protect him and keep him out of the fray and out of his own self-created problems。 I believe that we're meant to commiserate w/ Skip， to slowly see the withering of his altruistic intents （the squashing of communism） as he comes to terms w/ the facts of the war - that it is meaningless and unorganized and a dismal waste of life and controlled by politicians， blithering arrogant idiots at the top。 We're meant to slowly see how crazy Skip's uncle is， this legend， this great man， likely driven to this state by a lifetime of war， and， frankly， subordination。 However， the two characters are so annoying， so worthless， so boring， that I found this impossible; I couldn't care less what happened to Skip， the main character。 Note that one reviewer said that this was the point。。。the "banality" was meant to show the deadened effect of war。 I think this works better in other writings （like Camus） - if you are going to take this path， take it， commit。In parallel to the banality of Skip， we witness the day-to-day trials of those less fortunate and thus more deserving of our attention: James Houston， his brother Bill， Hao and his double agent childhood friend Trung， and nurse Kathy Jones。 Now， these sections were much more interesting， much more compelling， about characters who were worth the pages invested。 Interestingly Johnson completely avoids battle scenes altogether， amazing for a 700 page book。 Don't get me wrong; there is plenty of rape and pillaging and drunken shenanigans。If there is a message here， it is a message of chaos， of meaninglessness。 Evil can result from good intentions。 Innocent people can be found guilty。 We can be certain of something， only for the truth to be the opposite。 The Colonel at the end loses faith in fat， static Skip， despite there being nothing to distrust。 Kathy loves Skip despite him being a turd。Other:--I read that this book is in fact a prequel of sorts to Johnson's other books - the Houston brothers are the characters of "Angels;" Minh shows up in "Resuscitation of a Hanged Man"--The review by Myers is scathing 。。。more

Matthew Kerber ，

Wanted to love this book。 Very captivating in small sections， feels like a masterpiece even， but as a whole I was barely treading water the entire time trying to make sense of the plot。

Evan Rudowski ，

This is an epic novel spanning years and lives as the Vietnam War accelerates and a wide-ranging cast of characters intersect or just pass near each other from time to time。 Characters’ activities are as pointless as the war itself; they kill time， kill enemies， drink， steal， lie to each other and with each other， rape， assassinate and disappear。 We never learn what happens to some characters， and others we wish we wouldn’t have。 In the end what does it all mean？ Absolutely nothing。 Are there an This is an epic novel spanning years and lives as the Vietnam War accelerates and a wide-ranging cast of characters intersect or just pass near each other from time to time。 Characters’ activities are as pointless as the war itself; they kill time， kill enemies， drink， steal， lie to each other and with each other， rape， assassinate and disappear。 We never learn what happens to some characters， and others we wish we wouldn’t have。 In the end what does it all mean？ Absolutely nothing。 Are there any saints？ None whatsoever。 Sinners？ Everyone。 The writing crackles with vivid intensity， rendering the mundane poetic， filling the reader’s senses with the sights， sounds and smells of every hopeless vignette。 Well worth the time and effort。 。。。more

Thomas Molander ，

i was making my way slowly through the book but then stopped because i wasn't too interested i was making my way slowly through the book but then stopped because i wasn't too interested 。。。more

Javier Ventura ，

Buena novela， pero espesita; cosas del espionaje y del posmodernismo， que no lo ponen nada fácil。

Rick ，

This Vietnam war novel is one of my favorite books。 In fact， I've read it three times。The NY Times Book Review once said "Tree of Smoke is a massive thing and something like a masterpiece。" I agree。 I loved the characters and the dialog。 And。。。since I lived in that part of the world for awhile， the book resonated with me even more。"At last， a wartime capital。 A posh lobby full of sagas， busy with spies and cheats， people cut loose， and no longer accountable to their former selves。 Deals struck i This Vietnam war novel is one of my favorite books。 In fact， I've read it three times。The NY Times Book Review once said "Tree of Smoke is a massive thing and something like a masterpiece。" I agree。 I loved the characters and the dialog。 And。。。since I lived in that part of the world for awhile， the book resonated with me even more。"At last， a wartime capital。 A posh lobby full of sagas， busy with spies and cheats， people cut loose， and no longer accountable to their former selves。 Deals struck in a half dozen languages。 Sinister rendezvous。 False smiles。 Eyes measuring the chances。 Psychos。 Wanderers。 Heroes。 Lies。 Scars。 Masks。 Greedy schemes。 This is what he wanted， not some villa in the bush。”- Skip Sands， CIA agent 。。。more

Chris Pepin ，

I did not finish as I found it boring。 （This is not a criticism per se， as no book will appeal to everyone。）。 I may return to this book at a later date。

Jo ，

Not my cup of tea-

Marc Nash ，

Video review https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=S8aUx。。。 Video review https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=S8aUx。。。 。。。more

Alex Bethune ，

Having read a few of the authors shorter novels， I had relatively high hopes for this one。 It was， at times， hard to get through & confusing。 I used an index card as a bookmark and kept notes on the characters because they could be easy to mix up。 The writing is very “ranty” for lack of a better word。 I found myself re reading the same sentence 3 or 4 times more often than I like。 With that being said there are definitely some good things to say。 More so than anything， I found myself laughing ou Having read a few of the authors shorter novels， I had relatively high hopes for this one。 It was， at times， hard to get through & confusing。 I used an index card as a bookmark and kept notes on the characters because they could be easy to mix up。 The writing is very “ranty” for lack of a better word。 I found myself re reading the same sentence 3 or 4 times more often than I like。 With that being said there are definitely some good things to say。 More so than anything， I found myself laughing out loud often enough to keep me going。 The dialogue between the characters was as ridiculous as I assume it may have been in Vietnam。 。。。more

Stephen ，

I have tried to read this novel several times and just closed the book and put it back on the shelf。 That was several years ago and you know things change。 I thought I would try it again， and I also listened to an audio-version as well。 That helped。 But the book is a rambling jumbled mess。 I disliked many of the characters。 My copy was given to me by a friend， an avid reader of classics but he had heard the author speak at a LIC book event and thought he would like it。 He was wrong。 I think I kn I have tried to read this novel several times and just closed the book and put it back on the shelf。 That was several years ago and you know things change。 I thought I would try it again， and I also listened to an audio-version as well。 That helped。 But the book is a rambling jumbled mess。 I disliked many of the characters。 My copy was given to me by a friend， an avid reader of classics but he had heard the author speak at a LIC book event and thought he would like it。 He was wrong。 I think I know now why we lost the Viet Nam War if indeed this was reflective of that history。 I did read "Train Dreams" by this author， several years ago after attempting to read Tree of Smoke and loved it。 Was it a waste of reading and listening time， no， but I do not understand all the hoopla surround the book。 。。。more

Jean Ra ，

Tal y cómo oí en alguna parte （creo que en Nacido el 4 de Julio）， y creo que también se comenta en esta novela， la II Guerra Mundial fue la última guerra en la que Estados Unidos podía sentirse satisfecho de su esfuerzo destructivo， cuando podían afirmar que lucharon del lado de los 'buenos'。 Tras Vietnam se impondrán las guerras imperialistas， la rapiña y las maquinaciones de trastienda para desestabilizar otros países， tanto de su mismo continente como de otros。 Claro que yo me pregunto qué ti Tal y cómo oí en alguna parte （creo que en Nacido el 4 de Julio）， y creo que también se comenta en esta novela， la II Guerra Mundial fue la última guerra en la que Estados Unidos podía sentirse satisfecho de su esfuerzo destructivo， cuando podían afirmar que lucharon del lado de los 'buenos'。 Tras Vietnam se impondrán las guerras imperialistas， la rapiña y las maquinaciones de trastienda para desestabilizar otros países， tanto de su mismo continente como de otros。 Claro que yo me pregunto qué tiene de loable la guerra contra España en Cuba o la rapacidad a la que sometió a México en el siglo XIX， llegando a robarle por la cara la mitad de su territorio。 En todo caso， ¿qué es lo que puede mantener tamaña empresa？ ¿Cómo pueden miles de personas marchar a la guerra en la creencia que lo hacen por el bien？ Lo que Johnson plantea en este libro es que sólo a través de dos grandes abstracciones， muy aptas para trileros: la religión y su vertiente secular （llámese patriotismo/nacionalismo/democracia）， que ofrecen un marco y una serie de valores con los que sus personajes más o menos se identifican， pero que se disuelven conformen se enfrentan con el horror， el horror， y las atrocidades de Vietnam。 Estos dos hilos se entremezclan a lo largo de la narración， encontramos curas que trafican con armas， soldados que creen defender a su país y encomendarse al creador en las horas más oscuras。 Medio despierto， soñaba que acababa yendo con el coronel。 Y que el coronel le decía: Sabes que existe un ciclo de imaginación y deseo， de deseo y muerte， de muerte y nacimiento， de nacimiento e imaginación。 Y a nosotros nos han tentado para entremos en su boca。 Y esa boca nos ha tragado （página 545）En los primeros compases a personajes como Skip Sands desprenden idealismo， se les nota motivados por sólidos valores， más conforme se enfrentan con las conspiraciones dentro de su propio bando， los gajes de la guerra， las operaciones encubiertas de la CIA y otras facciones， éstos quedan trastocados， olvidados hasta que finalmente se revela el verdadero rostro de una campaña ignominiosa y a partir de ya sólo les queda caer en la rapacidad， la satisfacción de los instintos más brutales y la supervivencia de los más sibilinos。 Aún y así， Sands se podría decir que es uno de los 'afortunados'， pues opera en la retaguardia en operaciones de guerra psicológica， mientras que los hermanos Huston se llevan la peor parte por formar parte de los marines， de los que están en primera línea para bajar a la jungla， exponerse a las trampas， explorar los túneles， perderse en las orgías de los prostíbulos y otras tantas cosas que destruyen sus mentes y por eso al final de la novela acaban convertidos en meros criminales。 Todas las máscaras cayeron。 Esa sección de la narración， en cierta manera， muy fina， quizá nos recuerde al Acorralado protagonizado por Stallone， pero la mayor parte de la historia tiene más que ver con Apocalypse Now， de la que hereda una mirada descreída y crítica， que a su vez Coppola adaptó del Corazón de las Tinieblas de Joseph Conrad， con la que ésta novela comparte no pocas complicidades。 Es a todas luces la novela más ambiciosa de Johnson， también la más extensa， cuya voz narrativa le permite moverse con flexibilidad a través de tonos humorísticos， románticos y también sumamente ásperos。 Su mirada es tan sumamente cultivada y rica que se demuestra capaz tanto de describir de forma descarnada las feroces torturas de unos soldados a sus prisioneros vietnamitas como en otra parte del texto comenta textos de Emil Cioran o Georges Bataille con total soltura， desprendiendo un gran conocimiento de los mismos， aunque sin pedantería， pues sirven para demostrar como Skip podría tener una existencia diferente de no haber caído en la guerra contra Vietnam。 Su prosa tersa no pierde un ápice de su buena mano con los diálogos， ahora bien， es de justicia admitir que por ejemplo las primeras 150 páginas no poseen lo que se dice un gran poder， también que la historia en ocasiones avanza con altibajos， pero por otro lado también demuestra un brillante uso de las elipsis narrativas como en ninguno otro de sus libros he podido antes apreciar。 Por más que a fin de cuentas sea su libro más prestigioso， no me parece el más recomendable， ese privilegio yo se lo reservo a la maravillosa Sueños de Trenes， donde Johnson demuestra buena parte de sus destrezas， aunque de forma mucho más concentrada y sucinta。 En todo caso， en global merece la pena el buen número de horas que requiere su lectura， aunque sin duda tiene partes más plenas y satisfactorias que otras。 。。。more

Joel Werley ，

I feel like this is the book The Sympathizer wished it could it be。 I feel like this is the book The Sympathizer wished it could it be。 。。。more

Bryanheidel heidel ，

I will likely write more about this book later。 It is hard to say anything very general about it， as it was a huge book and there were so many different aspects， goals， and narratives within the book， however， I will try。 Overall， I am not a huge fan of wartime literature， especially those regarding the Vietnam conflict。 I think that much of what there has been to say has been said。 There were certainly aspects of his narrative that I found to be trope。 There were some beautiful moments in the b I will likely write more about this book later。 It is hard to say anything very general about it， as it was a huge book and there were so many different aspects， goals， and narratives within the book， however， I will try。 Overall， I am not a huge fan of wartime literature， especially those regarding the Vietnam conflict。 I think that much of what there has been to say has been said。 There were certainly aspects of his narrative that I found to be trope。 There were some beautiful moments in the book and I thought that he explored the theme of loss beautifully with many different characters and in many different ways。 I connected with that theme the strongest。 The issue for me was that it was 700 pages for about 150 pages that I connected with in strong ways。 It is important to say that the prose was beautiful throughout the book， even if I wasn't connecting with the material emotionally or intellectually， the sentences were always interesting， well constructed and beautiful。 I wouldn't suggest this book to friends， but that's not because it wasn't a good book as much as it wasn't in my wheelhouse。 。。。more

Chris Dailey ，

Massive novel ostensibly about the CIA in Vietnam from the early sixties to the end of the decade but really about living myths and the greener grass even if its actually a patch of mud。 A meandering， and sometime plodding storyline， is supported mainly by the superb writing that lulls you with its simplicity and elegance before it arrives with sometimes stunning depth （e。g。， "I didn't know how to act， my had never died before。"）。 The cast of of half a dozen plus characters are almost entirely f Massive novel ostensibly about the CIA in Vietnam from the early sixties to the end of the decade but really about living myths and the greener grass even if its actually a patch of mud。 A meandering， and sometime plodding storyline， is supported mainly by the superb writing that lulls you with its simplicity and elegance before it arrives with sometimes stunning depth （e。g。， "I didn't know how to act， my had never died before。"）。 The cast of of half a dozen plus characters are almost entirely fully developed （as they should be over 614 pages） but it was difficult to empathize and connect with any single one。 The most endearing is Francis X Sands， aka the Colonel， but he's almost frustratingly mythological to the point where his own death is a mysterious unknown。 He's the focal point that drives nearly all plot lines， though his perspective is rarely shared。 Stymying in length and sometimes story but rewarding in prose and emotional exploration。 。。。more

Nick ，

I didn't finish this， but I appreciate the writing。 It's beautiful and meticulously researched。 It's plotless， at least for the first quarter of it。 It meanders。 It's precious。 Two main characters are both named William， and two major supporting characters are both named Eddie。 People repeat themselves for emphasis a lot。 I get the whole vibe Johnson was going for， but I don't think I can get through that many pages of “War brings out the meaninglessness of our existence。” I thought Slaughterhou I didn't finish this， but I appreciate the writing。 It's beautiful and meticulously researched。 It's plotless， at least for the first quarter of it。 It meanders。 It's precious。 Two main characters are both named William， and two major supporting characters are both named Eddie。 People repeat themselves for emphasis a lot。 I get the whole vibe Johnson was going for， but I don't think I can get through that many pages of “War brings out the meaninglessness of our existence。” I thought Slaughterhouse 5 did a great job of that in literally a third as many pages。 I guess what it boils down to is， if I'm going to read a novel of ideas， I really have to be caught by the ideas， and this didn't quite do that for me。 。。。more

Joe James ，

Denis Johnson is my favourite author

Robert Maharry ，

I didn't want it to end。 I could've read at least 300 more pages of Johnson's jaw dropping prose， and while I guess he's an acquired taste （based on Tree of Smoke's surprisingly low rating）， he managed to add not just worthwhile but an essential entry into the Vietnam canon。 But TOS is about so much more than Vietnam。 I didn't want it to end。 I could've read at least 300 more pages of Johnson's jaw dropping prose， and while I guess he's an acquired taste （based on Tree of Smoke's surprisingly low rating）， he managed to add not just worthwhile but an essential entry into the Vietnam canon。 But TOS is about so much more than Vietnam。 。。。more

Kathy Lyons ，

Can't get into this book。 Didn't feel like slogging through。。。 Can't get into this book。 Didn't feel like slogging through。。。 。。。more

Steve Crane ，

I listened to the Audible version and though the narrator was good I'm giving up after 24%。 I'm just not enjoying it; I think because it focuses too much on the prose than on the story。 I listened to the Audible version and though the narrator was good I'm giving up after 24%。 I'm just not enjoying it; I think because it focuses too much on the prose than on the story。 。。。more

Payne ，

part catch 22， part heart of darkness。 good fun

Chris Lund ，

I'm a big fan of the band "Yes"， but I've always found their lyrics to be a bit ridiculous to the point of absurdity （as do others， as evidenced by the creation of the "Jon Anderson lyrics generator"） - they use extremely poetic and beautiful sounding words and phrases， but when you try to make sense of what they're actually saying， it just comes across as confusing and muddled self-important nonsense。 Reading this book reminded me of listening to a Yes song。 I was initially attracted by the pro I'm a big fan of the band "Yes"， but I've always found their lyrics to be a bit ridiculous to the point of absurdity （as do others， as evidenced by the creation of the "Jon Anderson lyrics generator"） - they use extremely poetic and beautiful sounding words and phrases， but when you try to make sense of what they're actually saying， it just comes across as confusing and muddled self-important nonsense。 Reading this book reminded me of listening to a Yes song。 I was initially attracted by the promise of a story about Psy Ops and the use of disinformation campaigns to undermine an enemy - what could be more timely？ - But I found myself mostly just struggling to figure out what was going on， and what the point of all of it was。 There's no doubt that the writing is top notch in terms of vocabulary and phrasing etc。， and some of the sections do pack a pretty strong punch when taken in isolation， but I had a very hard time making myself actually care about any of these characters， or about anything that happened to them （and even if I did， I'm not sure I was able to make enough sense out of what was going on to follow them anyway）。 I suppose there are plenty of people out there to whom this book will appeal， but I unfortuantely am not one of those people。 。。。more

Steve ，

wanted to like this a lot more than I actually did like it。 The best parts of Jesus' Son focused on dull affectation， amorality， drug use， and poverty and comprised roughly 80% of the collection。 In Tree of Smoke， the same foci drive the most compelling sections， but they're probably something like 10% of what's here （I found the 1970 chapter particularly great， because it reminded me of Jesus' Son）。 The vast remainder of the novel flits between a bunch of vaguely related characters who sometime wanted to like this a lot more than I actually did like it。 The best parts of Jesus' Son focused on dull affectation， amorality， drug use， and poverty and comprised roughly 80% of the collection。 In Tree of Smoke， the same foci drive the most compelling sections， but they're probably something like 10% of what's here （I found the 1970 chapter particularly great， because it reminded me of Jesus' Son）。 The vast remainder of the novel flits between a bunch of vaguely related characters who sometimes meet and sometimes don't。 This stuff is prosaically well written， but it's also boring， especially as some cast members are practically indistinguishable from others。 I also often felt like the book was trying to say things without actually saying them， which can be compelling if there are actual inferences to draw: but I personally didn't find very much。 Compare to de Lillo's Libra for a more successful approach to similar topics and themes。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Tree Of Smoke

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Tree Of Smoke&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Tree Of Smoke&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0