Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson is a novel set during the Vietnam War that focuses on the operations of the CIA in that theater. The narrative follows characters like Colonel Francis Sands, his nephew Skip, and the Houston brothers, Bill Jr. and James. Through 700 pages, Johnson weaves a near psychedelic exposition chronicling the downfall of Skip Sands, his mentor Francis X. Sands, soldier Jimmy Storm, and missionary Cathy, exploring the damage inflicted by war on various individuals.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings for violence, psychological distress, and themes related to war trauma.
From The Publisher:
NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER
One of the New York Times 10 Best Books of the Year
"The God I want to believe in has a voice and a sense of humor like Denis Johnson's." -Jonathan Franzen
Named A Best Book of the Year by Time, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, Salon, Slate, The National Book Critics Circle, The Christian Science Monitor. . .
Tree of Smoke is the story of William "Skip" Sands, CIA-engaged in Psychological Operations against the Vietcong-and the disasters that befall him. It is also the story of the Houston brothers, Bill and James, young men who drift out of the Arizona desert and into a war where the line between disinformation and delusion has blurred away. In the words of Michiko Kakutani in The New York Times, Tree of Smoke is "bound to become one of the classic works of literature produced by that tragic and uncannily familiar war."
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Tree of Smoke?
About the Author:
Denis Johnson (1949-2017) is the author of eight novels, one novella, one book of short stories, three collections of poetry, two collections of plays, and one book of reportage. His novel Tree of Smoke won the 2007 National Book Award.
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