Creation Lake: Book Review

Today, we will be reviewing Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner, a mystery and thriller spy novel. Keep reading to find out what we thought of this novel and see if you should add it to your reading list!

Creation Lake Summary

Sadie Smith is a thirty-four-year-old American woman who is currently working as a private spy in France. She is dating Lucien, a well off Parisian who is friends with the people she has been assigned to undermine. But first, Sadie Smith, which is an alias, must find out exactly is going on.

Sadie contacts are a shadowy figure that wants to stop the activists by infiltrating and undermine them. That means Sadie has to do things she doesn’t like and befriend the people in the members of the community no matter what. 

But as Sadie read’s the emails Bruno Lacombe, a mentor of the group, she starts being seduced by his ideas. But her contacts want to make sure that this community is taken care of no matter what and Sadie has do their bidding. But the stakes only keep increasing and Sadie realizes she is in too deep and as her past resurfaces, all the walls start closing in on her. 

Commentary

Creation Lake was released in September 2024 and ended up being shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize. After reading this novel, I can see why it was shortlisted and made 16 best books of the year lists.

Sadie Smith is an interesting protagonist and we know little about her and never learn her real name. If you search her name, only a LinkedIn profile shows up. As we learn more and more about her, we soon realize that she is isn’t as control of her life as she lets us believe.

The central plot of the novel is Sadie’s job of infiltrating a small group of environmentalists that oppose capitalism. In order to that, Smith must date Lucien, someone she dislikes, in order to gain entry to their circle. But after reading Bruno’s emails, Sadie is seduced and finds herself wanting to meet him.

From the plot to the characters, this novel has everything to hook you in. Kushner does a wonderful job of making the setting come to life. It feels like you are right there with Sadie exploring this new landscape with her. 

Conclusion

This was a novel I saw on many lists and knew that I had to see if the hype was real. And I am glad that I decided to read this novel. It is different than most novels I have read and that is because of the plot and the setting. 

I would recommend this novel to anyone who likes a thought-provoking novel. Kushner is in her element and you will find yourself unable to put this novel down. I will be checking more works by Kushner and will be reading her next work. Happy reading!

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