Creation Lake was a wild ride! I really enjoyed the philosophical part of considering progress, harm to the environment, and what our true purpose is (what our "salt" is). The protagonist was an unlikeable character but I think Kushner did an excellent job writing her.

Propulsive, jaunty, and surprisingly contemplative novel of big ideas. The marketing team (and by extension, the Booker jury) labeling this as a "spy thriller" does the book a major disservice. Anyone expecting some sort of John le Carré work will be rightfully disappointed, and I could have been one of those people. That isn't normally a genre I would ever touch, but the premise of this novel (and riffing on climate change) intrigued me so much that I couldn't resist. What I'd argue instead: if you're a fan of Emma Cline or Rachel Cusk, and uber-messy female protagonists are your thing, then run (don't walk) to this gem immediately. "Sadie Smith" is a cipher heroine for the ages, and one that I won't soon forget in all of her double-dealing and mysterious allure. I never thought that I needed extended treatises on Neanderthals (or "Thals," as they're glowingly nicknamed here), but I stand corrected. I would have been satisfied with a separate novel detailing Bruno Lacombe's musings on the world's history and the many iterations of his eventful life. These sorts of ruminative detours on science, history, and human destiny might inhibit enjoyment of the novel to some readers, as well as Sadie's questionable decision-making throughout. (I'd say that inexplicable luck has aided her far more than genuine professional skill as a "spy.") Sadie doesn't always win out in the end, which is refreshing, and the cast of characters surrounding her are vivid and specific. I'd only give a minor quibble for the book running a tad too long, but overall, I felt very taken care of as a reader in Rachel Kushner's capable hands. In light of that, I'll seek out more content from the author in the future and sing this book's praises whenever I possibly can.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for eARC access.

Congratulations to Rachel Kushner, author of Creation Lake, for being shortlisted for the International Booker Prize and longlisted for the National Book Award.

Her latest novel opens with an as-yet unnamed narrator summarizing emails from cave-dweller Bruno Lascombe to someone named Pascal, emails about Neanderthals and human history that the narrator somehow secretly reads. Gradually, readers come to know these characters and a broad assortment of others associated with them. The narrator, a spy hired by someone whose identity even she does not know, has been assigned to infiltrate a remote French agricultural commune. Led by Pascal Balmy, commune members are believed to have destroyed digging equipment employed in the building of megabasins to supply water to huge agribusinesses threatening to take over the region, forcing small-scale traditional farmers out of business.

Divided into eight parts, each consisting of several short sections, the story alternates between the spy narrator’s activities and her summaries of items in Bruno Lascombe’s email Sent box, which she has hacked in hopes of gaining insights into the commune’s activities. Little by little, Kushner identifies characters, revealing their backgrounds as well as the American narrator’s. Currently operating under the name Sadie Smith, an identity that changes for each job. the narrator schemes her way into an affair with Pascal’s best childhood friend—a French filmmaker named Lucien--in order to infiltrate the commune as a trusted “insider.” From section to section, Sadie recalls past assignments in which she used similar tactics to entrap those she has been assigned to infiltrate, including an assignment during her time as an FBI agent that forced her to flee her home country to work as a private agent throughout Europe. Thinking she had successfully escaped, she comes to realize her past might catch up with her.

Although some readers have criticized the slow development resulting from the inclusion of Bruno Lascomb’s meandering anthropological and philosophical emails, those same emails and Sadie’s developing attitudes toward their writer come to play an important role. This is a spy novel, yes, but it is much more, and readers wanting an action-packed, fast-paced thriller should choose a different book. Readers who enjoy literary fiction and can appreciate the slow, piece-by-piece development leading up to the book’s climax, as well as the author’s humor and surprises, should find Creation Lake creative, thought-provoking, quirky, entertaining, and an admirable accomplishment.

Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.

This might be my favorite of her novels, though I would need to reread The Flamethrowers to be sure. I like the tone, the pace, the build-up. I will be rooting for her through award season.

It is easy to see why this was selected for the Booker long list. It was difficult at first for me to get into this book, but I enjoyed the back and forth narrative and quirky main character. This was definitely not what I thought it would be, but brilliant in it's own way. I will definitely be keeping an eye on Kushner's future work.

nothing much of anything happened in this book, which is a compliment. i plodded through it and felt immersed in a world of surveillance and clumsy dual motivations, unglamorous rural life and glamorous-on-paper jobs. this is the kind of book that is full of things you google instead of action, which is my preference. my first rachel kushner but it won't be my last!

Unfortunately this book really didn't hit for me. The writing itself is fine, but the characters, premise, and setting didn't grip me at all. The book's description sounds interesting on paper, however, it took a long time to reach the payoff. The book is described as a spy thriller, but the first 50% is extremely detailed background information that had me nodding off.
It might be that I'm not smart enough for this.
Thank you Scribner and Netgalley for the eARC!

If Birnam Wood had a baby with Foucault by way of Kushner's own striking prose, this would be the result. I have not met a narrator I've hated more in a long time, but I felt like many of the passages in this book were written directly to me and my francophile tendencies. I kept outlining passages that felt like direct attacks on me and my ideas, and it sometimes read like I was back in grad school arguing with my professors. Four stars for brilliance and aggravation and spending time in the South of France in the hands of an artist- even when she made me actively annoyed. I think that was in part the point!

Another excellent novel from Rachel Kushner, with another complicated, flawed, bad ass main character. I hope she keeps them coming!

The second half of this story about A provocateur for hire was really good. Its like I finally got it. The first half was learning all of the characters and their roles. Some of it felt like it was over my head but I learned this is best savored rather than being a fast read. A French eco group infiltrated by an American to instigate illegal activity, like even murder. The main character is interesting on many levels as she navigates the penetration of the group's inner circle. A good read.

Copy provided by the publisher and Netgalley

We only ever know her as Sadie, but that’s not her real name. She has been hired by an unnamed party to infiltrate Le Moulin, a French climate activist collective led by a charismatic man named Pascal. He has been strongly influenced by and remains in correspondence with Bruno Lacombe, an ex-revolutionary who has turned increasingly philosophical in his old age, now waxing on about the traces of Neanderthal man he finds in the caves near his hiding place and the ways that they may have been superior to Homo sapiens.

Le Moulin is up in arms over the French government’s plans to construct megabasins that would provide water to large corporate farms at the expense of the nearby countryside and is rumored to be planning some kind of action in protest. Sadie’s primary goal is to learn what that action might be and to try and find a way to take down the group with little concern for ethics.

Sadie is an interesting character who is simultaneously a pretty terrible person and also fun to hang out with. She isn’t an unreliable narrator; it’s safe to take what she tells us at face value even as she infiltrates the group under a false identity. But she operates within her own cynical, borderline-nihilist moral code, never thinking about the trail of destruction her missions leave in their wake. She has a witty and dry sense of humor though, and her acid-tongued observations about the world around her prove wryly amusing.

Bruno’s extended digressions into the history and potential superiority of the Neanderthal sometimes bring the already slow plot to a screeching halt, but they do contain some fascinating ideas. As he uses his discoveries to try to bring Pascal around to his increasingly serene way of thinking he is unknowingly influencing Sadie, who has hacked into and is reading his emails. Bruno and Sadie are both able to reexamine their beliefs and question the way they’ve been living, while Pascal remains steadfast, enjoying the respect of his followers.

The exact plot and what Sadie will do about it are gradually doled out across the novel, allowing for some suspense to develop, especially towards the end, but this is not a thriller. Instead, it is a call for us to learn from our collective pasts, to take the best parts of them and merge them with new ideas to find a way to move forward, and to try to recognize that in an era of seemingly limitless information we actually know very little.

Unfortunately this didn’t land for me (and I was so looking forward to it!). The writing is fine, but the story/characters/setting - nothing gripped me.

Maybe a case of right book, wrong time - I don’t know. Either way, I’m a bit bummed. The cover is fantastic though 🙌🏻

Thank you Scribner and Netgalley!

If you go into reading this book looking for a plot, I think you will be pretty disappointed. There is a plot, but it's just the barest bones upon which to hang what is more of a philosophical treatise punctuated by sharp wit and satire.

I pretty much ended up feeling that the author was actually too smart for me. At the 90% mark, I still felt like I just "didn't get it". But in hindsight, I think the reason this book was chosen was because of its many insights into the human condition. It's philosophy disguised as a satirical novel and wrapped around a cynical, self-centered, confident protagonist, Sadie.

The reason to read this book is for the specific observances about mankind. I feel like if I re-read it and focused solely on those observations, I would have appreciated the book so much more. For example:

"Man, bland and featureless, in this myth, lacking in his own special trait, was condemned, instead, to ingenuity, to being a devious little bastard"

"Ecclesiastes declares that life has no meaning, that evil will be rewarded, and goodness punished."

"People can sometimes pretend so thoroughly that they forget they are pretending."

I have so many highlighted quotes in this book, and there's a certain nihilism to the whole endeavor. It's not an optimistic view no matter how much levity you bring to the table.

So either I'm not smart enough to understand Kushner's message here, or I understand it all too well and it isn't pretty. Either way, in the end, I know I approached this book all wrong, and I wish I had known going in what I know now.

This book deserves every bit of praise being heaped upon it - can't put it down, incendiary (Flame Throwers pun intended)! Hope it wins.

If I could grab a coffee with a Booker Prize panelist, I'd ask them, "So...what did you like about this book?"

I didn't love it as much as Ron Charles nor hate it as much as Brandon Taylor, though both gave an excellent critique. I just thought it was fine.

Mismarketed as a spy thriller, Creation Lake is the story of American agent-for-hire "Sadie Smith" as she infiltrates an eco-terrorist group in rural France. As she enmeshes herself further into the group, she becomes obsessed with the writings of the charismatic leader, Bruno Lacombe, who pontificates about Neanderthals and a return to ancient life while living in a cave in an undisclosed location.

This book had some nice lines but not enough to counterbalance its issues. Most importantly, our protagonist is hardly a character in her out right. Like her marks, readers are given only enough information about her to fill in the rest with their own minds. Even her most haphazard plans work out for her without casting suspicion of her grander plot. The ending is especially convenient and requires no sacrifice or growth. She ends the book the same way she started it—as an entirely self-interested person with no real morals or goals. SPOILER: Ultimately, she receives a large payout for an assassination she didn't have to execute and retires comfortably in financial security. Some think that the ending demonstrates her conversion to Bruno's ideas as she mimics his isolation with her own. I think a more consistent explanation is that she is and always was in service to herself and retired because she didn't need the money. She never has to reckon with any past decisions and is rewarded without obstacle.

Rather, this book is a vehicle for the author's own contempt for radical political groups, who are discredited for their own lack of working-class credentials rather than their ideals. All that makes a fine read, but does not make a book worthy of the Booker Prize Shortlist.

It feels like we’re simply laying down facts and details, and they lack sensuality. I needed more heart and a more stringent editor.

There is a reason this was nominated not only for the Booker but also for the NBA. This book is fantastic and keeps you intrigued from page 1, until the very end. I feel this absolutely one of the years best books and so far the best I’ve read from this author.

Thank you NetGalley and Scribner for the advanced copy!

Creation Lake is not your typical 'secret agent' spy thriller. It is FAR more interesting than that! First of all, the main character, "Sadie", is something else! She's smart and good at her job, seemingly cold and uncaring. But her armor is pierced by the emails she intercepts from Bruno, one of the leaders of an activist group she infiltrates for her current job. Bruno's emails give Sadie --and us, the readers-- a lot to think about, and give us a rare glimpse of the human side of our protagonist. This book is exciting, it's funny, and most of all, it's really interesting! Unlike anything else I've read, it's one of my top reads in 2024! Highly recommend.

Rachel Kushner’s Creation Lake is a novel that blends environmental concerns with deep philosophical musings, exploring the consequences of human intervention in nature. Though marketed as an eco-thriller, this categorization can be misleading for those expecting a fast-paced narrative with high stakes. Instead, Creation Lake unfolds slowly, meandering through moments of plot while frequently detouring into essayistic prose and reflection. For readers willing to embrace this, the book offers a thought-provoking, multilayered narrative, but the pacing may frustrate those seeking more immediacy.

In my opinion, the novel’s strength lies in its vivid descriptions and philosophical depth, as Kushner raises poignant questions about humanity’s relationship with the environment. However, at times, the balance between action and reflection feels off, and the slowness can drag. This can make the story feel as though it is struggling to find momentum, especially for readers expecting a more conventional thriller.
For those drawn to slow-burn narratives that intertwine story and ideas, Creation Lake will resonate, but it is a novel that asks for patience, rewarding readers who value introspection as much as tension. I didn’t love it but it was entertaining for moments.

This somewhat inefficiently-plotted tale of a secret agent's operation is buoyed by an enjoyable narrator and musings on neanderthal and early human culture.