Book Review | “Creation Lake” by Rachel Kushner
A Philosophical Spy Novel About Human Nature and Free Will
Have you ever watched a TV show requiring your full attention? The narrative demanding vigilance in exchange for comprehension?
That’s “Creation Lake” by Rachel Kushner. It’s a unique spy novel that discards typical tactics for substantive storytelling.
“Creation Lake” chronicles a newly privatized spy entering the ranks of French eco-terrorism. The main character, “Sadie Smith,” never learning her true identity, is a former FBI agent accused of overstepping the invisible boundaries of spy craft, aka she got caught acting unethically.
Upon leaving the American intelligence apparatus, she moves to the private sector working for her unknown contacts, tasking her with infiltrating the French anarchist commune, Le Moulin, and stimulating the organization’s nefarious actions.
In a move to sneak her foot in the door, Sadie “accidentally” has a run-in with French movie director, Lucien Dubois, seducing him with her pure beauty, making it look too easy for a woman to win over a man, blinded by the thoughts of their penis. Through Lucien, she can gain access to his longtime friend, Pascal Balmy, the leader of the Le Moulin domestic terrorist group.
As she gains entry to the Le Moulin community, Sadie surveils Pascal’s communications, slyly discovering communications between Balmy and Bruno Lacombe, the exiled philosopher mentoring and guiding Le Moulin.
Bruno, hiding in the French topography, cerebrally examines the origins of humans, homo sapiens, and Neanderthals, trying to find the answers from the past for our present-day problems, communicating these musings via email with Pascal and Le Moulin.
Sadie finds herself entranced by his writings, desperate to meet the source of these words. Will Sadie succeed in her mission or will she be swallowed whole by her obsession with Bruno Lacombe?
By calving off flashy, loud plot points and redundant chases scenes through crowded cities, Kushner crafts an atypical spy story. One that is quiet yet bold, subtle yet deep, arduous yet breezy.
“Creature Lake” is a thick, luscious forest to explore full of ripe turns of phrase and unexpected humor nestled in the dense grove. Blink and you miss it, observe carefully and you reap the rewards.
Much like Bruno’s fishing story, hold your hands still in the water, the current rushing by, awaiting the fruits of your patience, and then calmly catching the prize, slowly pulling the fish from the water. The fish is the joy of reading and experiencing this novel, and your endurance pays off.
There are moments I drifted off only to revive, feeling as if I were reading an entirely different novel, unable to connect the dots to my last conscious thought.
The majority of your bandwidth needs to be focused on the story or you’ll miss a turn, ending up severely off course.
“Creation Lake” is for those committed to the long haul, ready for a steady climb from start to finish with the payoff being the ascent to the top and viewing the world from a completely different vantage point.
Main takeaways:
Privilege exists in all facets of society. It’s interesting to explore Pascal Balmy and the leaders of the Le Moulin, many of which come from privileged backgrounds. Pascal preaches a good game but he has a forever safety net, bailing him out at the first sign of trouble. Even though they’re fighting “the man,” Pascal and company benefit from their connections and history with “the man.” They don’t implore the same risk as the rest of the organization, many of which are the foot soldiers and the actual executors of their shared plans, the ones getting their hands dirty. Having privilege and being well-connected is unfortunately how the world works currently and no one and nothing is exempt.
It’s all a means to an end for most. The result is often the focus but what about what it took to get there? Doesn’t that have any value? Sadie experiences this scenario, realizing all her hard work may not have mattered in the end.
Move on in your own time. Nothing is meant to last forever and who we were does not dictate who we are or who we will become. Shedding your past or your current coat can free you to become something new or different. Like Bruno’s lice analogy, they leave when they are ready and not because they are being forced out by poison. We all learn, evolve, and change much like Sadie, evaluating if our path is still serving us. If it’s not, might be a good moment to try something else.
The past should inform the present but not predict the future. Similar to the above but targets the action of evolving rather than sitting on the precipice. If one’s drawn to a completely different way of life or thinking, one is free to explore that avenue, not being chained to their past decisions, beliefs, or values. Although different than her own, Sadie is drawn to Bruno’s philosophies, almost being summoned to convert to his teachings.
Kushner cultivates a nuanced and patient story, slowly building without a true climax, without the typical fanfare. Instead, we summit the mountain, standing calmly at the top, taking in the view, celebrating that we made it, and realizing it was about the journey. “Creation Lake” takes us to the peak and forces us to turn around, taking in where we came from and how we got there, both equally as important as the apex of the climb — if not more.
Where we came from and how we got there — the past — does not dictate the future but it needn’t be forgotten and should be used to inform us on how to break the cycle of repeated mistakes.
Overall, “Creation Lake” is a human nature story encapsulated in a spy story, urging us to evaluate our past and rethink our future.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A cerebral spy novel with deep philosophical musings and human introspection, reflecting on our past to inform our future.
Purchase your copy HERE.
This story contains affiliate links, I may earn a small commission if you purchase anything through one of my links at no extra cost to you.