Admittedly,
I’ve fallen a little bit behind on my book reviews. It has been a bit too cold
to sit in the basement, where I’ve set up my desk, and type out a review.
Everywhere else in the house can get a bit distracting. I have two reviews
coming up, and I thought I would take advantage of the warmer weather to write
one today. Hopefully, the other will follow within a week, or at least before I
finish reading my next book.
Denis
Johnson’s sprawling novel Tree of Smoke
follows the exploits of several CIA operatives, their contacts, and
acquaintances in Vietnam during the 1960s. The operatives’ mission is
ill-defined, but their leader, Francis Xavier Sands—often referred to as the
Colonel in homage to his status as a retired air force colonel—is charismatic
enough to gain the unwavering support of his subordinates, and even elicit the
admiration of his peers and rivals. The Colonel, already a legend in the
intelligence community, wants to elevate his legacy to immortal proportions.
His nephew, William Sands, from whose point of view the novel is predominantly
told, wants to create his own legacy. First he must convince his uncle that he
is capable of more than curating his uncle’s files. The cast of characters
surrounding them range from disillusioned soldiers and sailors to Viet Cong
double agents to Vietnamese who want to escape the turmoil of their country and
are willing to sell their services to any bidder who can help them.
The
novel is an intricate character study of men’s ambitions, the lengths that they
will go to in order to accomplish those goals, and the events that can break
men down. Though it is set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, it is not
the politics of the war or its violence that take center stage; rather, the
novel focuses on the role of knowledge and information in the war. It examines
the psychological bearing that the war and living in it can have on a person. More
importantly, it shows the ways in which information or misinformation can be disseminated
to have a devastating effect on the thought processes of combatants and command
structures.
The
novel itself is a tree of smoke. Readers encounter events from multiple sources
and witness firsthand the various channels that information can pass through to
alter the same general tale. This is not an espionage novel, but is a novel at
espionage, and as such readers must learn who to trust, and use the evidence
that Johnson provides through multiple characters’ perspectives in order to
draw conclusions about “truth” in the novel.
The
novel’s primary form of characterization is dialogue. It is easy to get lost in
the quick exchanges between characters, but it is important that readers not
allow seemingly unimportant or offhand quips whizz by them. Though succinct and
seemingly banal at times, each character’s dialogue is carefully crafted and
gives a striking perspective into the ways in which they will act and think.
The novel’s poignancy is not found in its storyline, but rather in its
dialogue, where each character’s personality is shown most vibrantly. The
nuances of their tones and behavior during conversation show how they have
changed over time, and how their motives or situations have changed also.
This is
an excellent novel, and is certainly worth the extensive amount of time and
concentration it takes to read it. Be prepared to pay attention, and don’t
worry if things don’t make sense right away. Remember, the story is intricate,
and all, or at least all that Johnson wants to reveal, will become obvious with
time.
JCM
13 January 2014
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