Tree of Smoke: A Novel
by Denis Johnson
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Book Reviews of Tree of Smoke: A Novel
Book Review: A Bright and Shining Truth
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been a fan of Johnson for some time now. To me Johnson is the American Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Tree of Smoke struck me as quite a bit better than his earlier books (those that I read anyway.) Johnson has always attempted to inject philosophical and religious points into his narratives and in his past works it was done rather awkwardly and unrealistically (e.g., the hit-man quoting Nietzsche in Already Dead.) But in Tree of Smoke he gets it right, the characters spiritual and philosophical underpinnings are woven seamlessly into the plot and make for an incredibly rich experience. The multitude of characters from very diverse backgrounds provide a wealth of different perspectives on life and faith. I especially appreciated that some of the main characters were Vietnamese. (I find that most American's are so self absorbed they can talk about the Vietnam War for hours and never mention the Vietnamese.)
Also, I have to mention that the softcover edition's binding is fantastic. I was easily able to hold the book splayed open with one hand.
Book Review: Blowing Smoke
Summary: 2 Stars
After closely reading the first 250 pages of Denis Johnson's 624-page Vietnam War novel and skimming the rest, I returned it to the library in three pieces. The recently published $27 hardback was literally falling apart, thanks to a cheaply glued--not stitched--spine. The librarian said he devoted part of each day to repairing such shoddy new publications. Alas, the book's substance didn't hold together any better.
I'd seen "Tree of Smoke" praised to high heaven in a New York Times review and touted in dust-jacket blurbs by folks like Philip Roth, who should know better. Its wooden characters creaked, its plot failed to materialize after 75,000 words, and its imprecise and arrhythmic language tripped me up time and again, forcing me back to reread sentences in an attempt to figure out what the hell they meant. Boredom soon set in. And this is a novel nominated for the National Book Award, which raised my expectations. I should have known better, having suffered through leaden nominees of previous years.
Book Review: TIRESOME
Summary: 1 Stars
About a third of the way through this book, when I realized that it was just well-strung prose without an interesting or creative narrative, I wanted to put it down -- but I didn't. I kept reading this waste of paper and ink suffering through to the tiresome and predictable end. It's been months now since I finished it, and just seeing it on my bookshelf makes me mad. If you are a fan of pretty writing, this book gives you plenty of it, but like so much current "prize" literature, the pretty writing is only a mask hiding a sad inability to actually make a story. No real art here -- just pretend (and pretense). Contrary to what's advertised in other reviews, this isn't an exciting acid trip through the Vietnam War or a spooky revealing view of CIA. It's somebody's half-bright wandering gibberish marketed to fool jamokes like me into paying $19.95. I haven't read a "serious" book this bad since "A Man in Full". You want to read art about war, try "The Naked And The Dead".Book Review: Gave it 200 Pages and Finally Gave Up
Summary: 1 Stars
I read somewhere around 100-125 books a year, finishing all but a handful -- unfortunately, this National Book Award-winner falls into that handful. After reading and hearing a number of glowing reviews about the book, I decided to give it a try since I have a passing interest in fiction about the Vietnam War. I ended up giving it a fairly substantial try -- I gave it about 200 pages to hook me, dazzle me, move me, do something to me, but it just never did. After investing that much time in flat characters and action that didn't seem to be leading anywhere, I finally gave up and picked up another lengthy, much-heralded Vietnam novel instead: Matterhorn (That book, despite a few lapses into didacticism, at least has characters that feel human, some semblance of a plot, and a palpable ring of authenticity that can't be ignored.). Maybe this gets suddenly better on page 201, but life's too short for me to read on in such hope.Book Review: Not A Vietnam Novel
Summary: 2 Stars
I picked up this novel because I thought it was about Vietnam. As it turns out, it was this author's fantasy of his presumption of Vietnam. I also thought he had been to Vietnam, and it turns out that he was not. Aside from some obvious errors (he names F-16 aircraft which did not exist), this is a pretentious acid trip novel. To be sure, there are moments of odd, almost mystical writing, but they are well buried in page after page of the dense quagmire of this author's mind.
As a bit of fantasy nonsense, this is adequate, but it is hardly any definitive story about the Vietnam war. I noticed it was lauded by major critics, who knowing nothing about Vietnam, jumped aboard this yellow submarine with Johnson and presumed they were being taken for a truth ride.
As a weird fantasy trip, this novel is an interesting time-waster. As anything serious, its a waste of time.