Tree of Smoke

A Novel

By: Denis Johnson

Narrated by: Will Patton

Length: 23 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

Tree of Smoke is Denis Johnson's first full-length novel in nine years, and his most gripping, beautiful, and powerful work to date.

©2007 Denis Johnson (P)2007 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers LLC

Critic reviews

• Audie Award Winner, Literary Fiction, 2008

“Patton is outstanding...[his] performance is quiet, powerful, and gut-wrenching....This is MUST listening.” —AudioFile Magazine

“This is the very talented Will Paton's greatest performance as a reader so far. His range of voices and evocation of character--the hopeful, the innocent, the cynical, the despairing and the mad--bring the tale to even more terrible and blistered life than the book itself, making it a 23-hour excursion into mesmerizing darkness.” —The Washington Post

“Will Patton's reading of \"Tree of Smoke\" is superb...The experience overall is one of hallucinatory horror, laugh-out-loud outrage, of sadness at the tremendous waste of lives, money and the national pride that went into Vietnam and did not return.” —Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Why that high - my rating!

I've listened to the story several times. Will (Patton) is an excellent actor/reader and has gotten into the story on a visceral level. Yes! I'm a veteran of that war. Veterans will understand easier than general readers, but the story and production are such that all listeners with heart will truly understand. The angst is real, the characters true, the production is first-class.

Amazing and Quotidian, Inventive and Banal

This is a novel that keeps you thinking--so far, for weeks after finishing it. It feels cliche and non-imaginative at times, but then pulls you in with amazing verisimilitude and originality. Its themes are existential--literally about existence--and how humans should and can make meaning out of life. It is also about the small moments in life that might actually be gigantic moments in retrospect. Or maybe not.

It is not short but seems to go quickly.

The narration is wonderful; Patton has a great tone for this type of book; he generally makes just the right amount of (minimal) effort to make different voices for different characters.

Perhaps the best summation of this novel is that the title is perfect.

Works on every level...

This is my first Denis Johnson read. A new genre door is opened. This is a razor sharp story of duplicity, espionage, confusion, and conflict set against the backdrop of the larger Viet Nam conflict, and works on so many levels. It is politically unbiased. The first paragraph became an addicting vortex un-releasing and un-relenting until the end. Who's spooking who? Each character is richly developed through a literal walk in their shoes. As always, I was transfixed by Will Patton's reading which always and again rends a final veneer to this or any work.

Profoundly and exquisite.

While a bit too long, this novel was worth the extra energy to focus till the end. Exceptional psychological perspectives throughout.

Rattling

Johnson’s got the muse at his fingertips and Patton performs it a marlboro canary a barstool away. If you enjoyed Jesus’s Son this is for you.
Endure the first 3 hours and you will convert

A worthy read...not genius

I resist war stories but after finally buckling down and reading and loving Tim O'Brien's short story collection "What They Carried With Them" and after reading the strong reviews for Denis Johnson's book in the NYTBR, I wanted to listen to "Tree of Smoke. For me, the emotional resonance that O'Brien's work "Carried" remains untrumped. "Tree of Smoke" is a good book butI did not think was a GREAT Book. It merits reading, and I may read it again to make sure I've given it a fair shake.

But here are my issues -- the "Tree of Smoke" itself-- not subtle. Not heavy-handed, but close. I remember wondering at one time if an editor made the author hammer home the "Tree of Smoke" symbolism -- wondered if he or the readers may not pick up on it if mentioned just once or twice...hard not to catch on when that's how the book is titled!

The characters -- if a compelling character who lives in your heart and soul is worth five stars, these are four star characters. Not one of them seeps into the heart/mind of the reader-- they almost do, each of them, but not quite.

The book is well constructed, the narrator of this book is superb. But I wanted to be "blown away"by this book based on what I knew of the author and the reviews and I wasn't. All that being said, I think it's imprtant for people like me who resist war novels to read books like this, it's important for people like me to understand...what came before, and what they carried with them.

Absolutely Amazing Characterization

I never steer away from a longer work of fiction as long as the characters are deep with personality and opinion. Not once did I stop the story out of boredom. As a Veteran, I could relate to the way the soldiers communicated and acted as I’ve seen similar instances in real life.

Can’t tell you how many times I laughed out loud from the dialogue and the voices Will uses in his narration.

If your on the fence, get off, it’s worth every minute.

not bad, but not my favorite denis johnson book.

Any additional comments?

the plot meandered a bit for my taste, but i liked the characters, the dialogue and the interactions. i was certainly never bored, but for me the book lacked the charm of jesus' son. i'm basically non-committal when it comes to recommending this book. i'd say if you read the plot summary and it appeals to you, then give it a shot. at the very least, the narrator was good.

Didn’t know what to expect

I’m not familiar with this area of life but I found comfort in the different paths in which this taken and a reflection upon history fact my presence is altered by this book

for what?

Getting through the whole of it was something of an ordeal. A very powerful book, but one that left we wondering "why's" -- why it was written, why it was reviewed with such critical favor, and why I persevered? The writing was beautiful and evocative. Many images and ideas were disturbing. But there was little I took away other than relief that my fate did not take me to Vietnam during the conflict. But I already knew that. I found few characters warranting any sympathy, even if many were interesting. The audio performance was great, but I can't say I recommend this work.