Tree of Smoke - Denis Johnson

As a general matter, I hate war and all things war related. For this reason, I have not watched many movies or read many books that deal with the Vietnam war. But, last month, my office filed a petition on behalf of a Vietnam vet. At trial, this client's attorney did not present anything to the jury about the client's experiences in Vietnam or his post-traumatic stress disorder. Out of interest, I read the petition, which included an over 100 page description of the client's service in Vietnam, his daily work flying a medical helicopter, picking up the dead and wounded, and putting himself in harm's way on every single trip. Simply reading about the situation gave me nightmares, and I can only begin to imagine the long-term psychological damage that war causes - not to mention, of course, the neurological damage caused by chemical agents. Recently, there has also been a lot in the media about the soldiers returning from Iraq and the damage that has been done to them as a result of chemical weapons and the general experience of being trained as a killer and witnessing and committing horrors abroad. It is not difficult for me while reading newspaper articles and watching programs on this issue to believe that these men and women will be my clients in the next 15-20 years. And so, it is with these thoughts and images in my mind that I picked up Denis Johnson's latest novel, Tree of Smoke, set during the Vietnam war. Johnson tells the story of Skip Sands, engaged in Psych Ops against the VietCong, and the Houston brothers, young and enlisted in the military. The book spans nearly a decade and over 600 pages. It took me awhile to get into the rhythm of Johnson's writing, and I found much of the story line scattered and full of seemingly unnecessary characters. But, as a picture of the war, this was a fulfilling addition to my new personal interest in war and its effects on individuals and our society.