Tree of SmokeTree of Smoke
Score Modern
What it's about
Skip Sands is a young CIA officer in Vietnam in the 1960s, working for his uncle, the Colonel, a legendary and erratic intelligence officer with a mysterious plan. Their story runs alongside those of two brothers from Arizona who go to war, a Canadian aid worker grieving her husband, and Vietnamese agents, across twenty years.
Why it's worth reading
It won the National Book Award and was a Pulitzer finalist, and the New York Times named it one of the best books of the 21st century. It's a huge, hallucinatory novel about war and deception.
You'll love it if you liked
The Sympathizer
Going After Cacciato
Train DreamsGood to know
It's over 600 pages and slow, with a sprawling cast. There's war violence.
By the numbers
- Readers0 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics90 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller24 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #995 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #1842 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Dark
More by Denis Johnson
Train Dreams
The Largesse of the Sea MaidenIf you like this, read next
The Book Thief
Americanah
Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets
The Help
Pachinko
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Quick answers
Is Tree of Smoke worth reading?
Yes. It won the National Book Award and was a Pulitzer finalist, and the New York Times named it one of the best books of the 21st century. It ranks #1,842 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 65.2 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Tree of Smoke about?
Skip Sands is a young CIA officer in Vietnam in the 1960s, working for his uncle, the Colonel, a legendary and erratic intelligence officer with a mysterious plan. Their story runs alongside those of two brothers from Arizona who go to war, a Canadian aid worker grieving her husband, and Vietnamese agents, across twenty years.
How long does it take to read Tree of Smoke?
About 16 hours (624 pages), or about 5 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has Tree of Smoke won?
National Book Award (Fiction) winner (2007).
What should I read after Tree of Smoke?
If you liked it, try The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen, Going After Cacciato by Tim O'Brien or Train Dreams by Denis Johnson.