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Table of Contents
About The Book
*SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2024 BOOKER PRIZE*
*LONGLISTED FOR THE 2024 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD*
*AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER*
*NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2024 BY THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE ATLANTIC, VULTURE, VOGUE, THE WASHINGTON POST, KIRKUS REVIEWS, NPR, THE ECONOMIST, THE CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY, VOX, and more*
From Rachel Kushner, two-time finalist for both the Booker Prize and National Book Award, a “vital” (The Washington Post) and “wickedly entertaining” (The Guardian) novel about a seductive and cunning American woman who infiltrates an anarchist collective in France—a propulsive page-turner filled with dark humor.
Creation Lake is a novel about a secret agent, a thirty-four-year-old American woman of ruthless tactics and clean beauty who is sent to do dirty work in France. “Sadie Smith” is how the narrator introduces herself to the rural commune of French subversives on whom she is keeping tabs, and to her lover, Lucien, a young and well-born Parisian she has met by “cold bump”—making him believe the encounter was accidental. Like everyone she targets, Lucien is useful to her and used by her. Sadie operates by strategy and dissimulation, based on what her “contacts”—shadowy figures in business and government—instruct. First, these contacts want her to incite provocation. Then they want more.
In this region of old farms and prehistoric caves, Sadie becomes entranced by a mysterious figure named Bruno Lacombe, a mentor to the young activists who believes that the path to emancipation is not revolt but a return to the ancient past. Just as Sadie is certain she’s the seductress and puppet master of those she surveils, Bruno is seducing her with his ingenious counter-histories, his artful laments, his own tragic story.
Written in short, vaulting sections, Rachel Kushner’s rendition of “noir” is taut and dazzling. Creation Lake is Kushner’s finest achievement yet—a work of high art, high comedy, and unforgettable pleasure.
*LONGLISTED FOR THE 2024 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD*
*AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER*
*NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2024 BY THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE ATLANTIC, VULTURE, VOGUE, THE WASHINGTON POST, KIRKUS REVIEWS, NPR, THE ECONOMIST, THE CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY, VOX, and more*
From Rachel Kushner, two-time finalist for both the Booker Prize and National Book Award, a “vital” (The Washington Post) and “wickedly entertaining” (The Guardian) novel about a seductive and cunning American woman who infiltrates an anarchist collective in France—a propulsive page-turner filled with dark humor.
Creation Lake is a novel about a secret agent, a thirty-four-year-old American woman of ruthless tactics and clean beauty who is sent to do dirty work in France. “Sadie Smith” is how the narrator introduces herself to the rural commune of French subversives on whom she is keeping tabs, and to her lover, Lucien, a young and well-born Parisian she has met by “cold bump”—making him believe the encounter was accidental. Like everyone she targets, Lucien is useful to her and used by her. Sadie operates by strategy and dissimulation, based on what her “contacts”—shadowy figures in business and government—instruct. First, these contacts want her to incite provocation. Then they want more.
In this region of old farms and prehistoric caves, Sadie becomes entranced by a mysterious figure named Bruno Lacombe, a mentor to the young activists who believes that the path to emancipation is not revolt but a return to the ancient past. Just as Sadie is certain she’s the seductress and puppet master of those she surveils, Bruno is seducing her with his ingenious counter-histories, his artful laments, his own tragic story.
Written in short, vaulting sections, Rachel Kushner’s rendition of “noir” is taut and dazzling. Creation Lake is Kushner’s finest achievement yet—a work of high art, high comedy, and unforgettable pleasure.
Reading Group Guide
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Reading Group Guide logo
Creation Lake
Rachel Kushner
This reading group guide for CREATION LAKE includes discussion questions and suggestions for enhancing your book club. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book.
Questions and Topics for Discussion
Consider the narrative point of view. How does this POV, which at times makes the book read like Sadie’s personal journal or even a court testimony, impact the emotional tenor of the book?
Think about the life advice Bruno imparts through his aphorisms and maxims, like “when we face our need to control [the future], we are better able to resist that need, and to live in the present” (398), and “Difference dissolves. But you stay you” (401). Discuss your favorite Bruno-isms and theories and analyze their meanings. Do you agree with him that capitalism and the modern organization of life are here to stay? What do you think he means when he says the only solution is to “leave this world”?
Sadie indulges in the “bad” behavior of classic male rogue agents. She drinks too much, sleeps with the wrong people, and is highly manipulative. How does that make you judge her?
Discuss Sadie’s impression of Bruno. What does she admire or loathe about him? How does her view of Bruno shift throughout the book, particularly when she thinks she has found his real identity?
Consider the vignette-like structure of this novel. How does this structure contribute to your read of the text and your understanding of Sadie, the Moulinards, and other characters? Do you think the stakes seem heightened, and the flashbacks more vivid, with this tight structure?
How do the characters in the book seem to contend with morality, if at all? How does Sadie’s morality or lack thereof influence her decisions?
Why do you think Kushner provides so little personal history for Sadie?
What role does gender play throughout the novel? What differences did you see between the men and the women, the boys and the girls at the commune, and how does Sadie’s gender offer her an advantage or disadvantage?
Sadie is scathing about the behavior of the Moulinard mothers. She also condemns their leader for demanding adulation and submission, especially from the women. Why is she more judgmental of others than she is of herself?
What do you make of Sadie’s brittle confidence? Is she a reliable narrator? Can she rely on her own self-image as a woman who doesn’t make mistakes? When she says, “I am a better driver after a few drinks, more focused” (27) do you believe her? Do you think she believes herself?
Discuss the personal qualities and characteristics of the leaders in the book, like Pascal, Bruno, and even Sadie as a quiet manipulator. Why have these leaders garnered loyal followers? Discuss their charms, attractive traits, and those that repel.
Some Moulinards seem to be suspicious of Sadie, and some seemingly accept her into their ranks without reservation. Sadie seems to think of herself as smarter than the Moulinards, but she is outwitted when Burdmoore takes her gun “as a souvenir [that will remind him] of that time some crazy chick came to Le Moulin and tried to stir up a bunch of shit and no one went for it” (388). Do you think none of the Moulinards “went for it” and how do you think this interaction psychologically impacts Sadie?
When she leaves Le Moulin, Sadie bans that which can be deemed a “crippling attachment,” like the internet, reading the news, watching videos, and drinking alcohol. How beneficial do you think these banishments are? Do you think she will continue living a life of isolation and disaffection?
Imagine a future for Sadie. How much longer, and to what extent, do you think she will commit to a decoy life? Discuss possible fates.
Enhance Your Book Club
Locate Polaris, the Big Dipper, and the Little Dipper!
Kushner has been interviewed by various outlets about her novels. Read some of the articles, including her monthly Harper’s column, online to learn about her inspiration, writing process, and more.
Catch up on current events in France, where large-scale protests have erupted between farmers and the state over the very issue that drives the subversion of the Moulinards: megabasins.
Is Michel Thomas, the famous French author, a stand-in for someone real? And if so, who might this be?
Has Burdmoore wandered into and through any other novels by Rachel Kushner? If so, which, and does his current scene and life situation match how he was presented previously?
Which regions of France have caves, and where is the “Guyenne”?
Creation Lake
Rachel Kushner
This reading group guide for CREATION LAKE includes discussion questions and suggestions for enhancing your book club. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book.
Questions and Topics for Discussion
Consider the narrative point of view. How does this POV, which at times makes the book read like Sadie’s personal journal or even a court testimony, impact the emotional tenor of the book?
Think about the life advice Bruno imparts through his aphorisms and maxims, like “when we face our need to control [the future], we are better able to resist that need, and to live in the present” (398), and “Difference dissolves. But you stay you” (401). Discuss your favorite Bruno-isms and theories and analyze their meanings. Do you agree with him that capitalism and the modern organization of life are here to stay? What do you think he means when he says the only solution is to “leave this world”?
Sadie indulges in the “bad” behavior of classic male rogue agents. She drinks too much, sleeps with the wrong people, and is highly manipulative. How does that make you judge her?
Discuss Sadie’s impression of Bruno. What does she admire or loathe about him? How does her view of Bruno shift throughout the book, particularly when she thinks she has found his real identity?
Consider the vignette-like structure of this novel. How does this structure contribute to your read of the text and your understanding of Sadie, the Moulinards, and other characters? Do you think the stakes seem heightened, and the flashbacks more vivid, with this tight structure?
How do the characters in the book seem to contend with morality, if at all? How does Sadie’s morality or lack thereof influence her decisions?
Why do you think Kushner provides so little personal history for Sadie?
What role does gender play throughout the novel? What differences did you see between the men and the women, the boys and the girls at the commune, and how does Sadie’s gender offer her an advantage or disadvantage?
Sadie is scathing about the behavior of the Moulinard mothers. She also condemns their leader for demanding adulation and submission, especially from the women. Why is she more judgmental of others than she is of herself?
What do you make of Sadie’s brittle confidence? Is she a reliable narrator? Can she rely on her own self-image as a woman who doesn’t make mistakes? When she says, “I am a better driver after a few drinks, more focused” (27) do you believe her? Do you think she believes herself?
Discuss the personal qualities and characteristics of the leaders in the book, like Pascal, Bruno, and even Sadie as a quiet manipulator. Why have these leaders garnered loyal followers? Discuss their charms, attractive traits, and those that repel.
Some Moulinards seem to be suspicious of Sadie, and some seemingly accept her into their ranks without reservation. Sadie seems to think of herself as smarter than the Moulinards, but she is outwitted when Burdmoore takes her gun “as a souvenir [that will remind him] of that time some crazy chick came to Le Moulin and tried to stir up a bunch of shit and no one went for it” (388). Do you think none of the Moulinards “went for it” and how do you think this interaction psychologically impacts Sadie?
When she leaves Le Moulin, Sadie bans that which can be deemed a “crippling attachment,” like the internet, reading the news, watching videos, and drinking alcohol. How beneficial do you think these banishments are? Do you think she will continue living a life of isolation and disaffection?
Imagine a future for Sadie. How much longer, and to what extent, do you think she will commit to a decoy life? Discuss possible fates.
Enhance Your Book Club
Locate Polaris, the Big Dipper, and the Little Dipper!
Kushner has been interviewed by various outlets about her novels. Read some of the articles, including her monthly Harper’s column, online to learn about her inspiration, writing process, and more.
Catch up on current events in France, where large-scale protests have erupted between farmers and the state over the very issue that drives the subversion of the Moulinards: megabasins.
Is Michel Thomas, the famous French author, a stand-in for someone real? And if so, who might this be?
Has Burdmoore wandered into and through any other novels by Rachel Kushner? If so, which, and does his current scene and life situation match how he was presented previously?
Which regions of France have caves, and where is the “Guyenne”?
About The Author
Photograph © Chloe Aftel
Rachel Kushner is the author of the New York Times bestseller Creation Lake, her latest novel; The Hard Crowd, her acclaimed essay collection; and the internationally bestselling novels The Mars Room, The Flamethrowers, and Telex from Cuba, as well as a book of short stories, The Strange Case of Rachel K. She has won the Prix Médicis and been a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Folio Prize, and was twice a finalist for the Booker Prize and the National Book Award in Fiction. Creation Lake was also longlisted for the National Book Award. She is a Guggenheim Foundation Fellow and the recipient of the Harold D. Vursell Memorial Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Her books have been translated into twenty-seven languages.
Product Details
- Publisher: Scribner (September 3, 2024)
- Length: 416 pages
- ISBN13: 9781982116521
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Raves and Reviews
“One of the finest novelists working in the English language.” —Dwight Garner, The New York Times Book Review
“Like Bruno-the-philosopher, Kushner is a dazzling chronicler of end times.” —Maureen Corrigan, “Fresh Air”
“Kushner inhabits the spy’s perspective with such eerie finesse that you feel how much fun she’s having… the real covert operative here is Kushner, who’s never felt more cunning than in this novel… vital and profound.” —Ron Charles, The Washington Post
“A dazzling work of fiction: brisk, stylish, funny, moving, and unexpectedly, piercingly moral… At once terse and vivid, economical and expansive… true, funny, sad, shrewd, and beautifully controlled through each unyielding sentence.” —Anahid Neressian, The New York Review of Books
"The two-time National Book Award finalist has once again outdone herself... a flat-out page turner of a spy story, dotted with sex and booze, sarcasm and cynicism, and a heady dose of vital curiosity." —Michelle Kircher, San Francisco Chronicle
“What makes Kushner’s work irresistible is her brainy swagger.” —Leigh Haber, Boston Globe
“A profound and irresistible page-turner… The prose is thrilling, the ideas electrifying.” —The 2024 Booker Prize judges
“Kushner creates a spellbinding story of intrigue and subterfuge that examines the limits of control and moral influence.” —Lauren LeBlanc, Los Angeles Times
"A seductive, modish, spy thriller." —Keziah Weir, Vanity Fair
“Extraordinary… full of tension and clarity… riveting…” —Nicolás Medina Mora, The Nation
“Gripping… so fun.” —Laura Marsh, The New Republic
"Rich with secrets and dense with vibe, you could say that all of Kushner’s novels are spy novels, exposés from someone on the inside. So, what happens when she writes an actual spy novel? Everything you might expect—espionage, intrigue, heart-racing action sequences—and something you might not: an authentic ethical awakening.” —Lisa Locascio Nighthawk, Los Angeles Review of Books
"Coolly brilliant and suspenseful... Creation Lake is a class of fiction I have never before found so wonderfully seductive." —Alan Hollinghurst, The Guardian
“At last I get to say how deeply, madly, irrecoverably I loved Creation Lake… it was all stylish and cool and then somehow the book struck a blow to my heart.” —Louise Erdrich
“I was completely immersed and mesmerized. Creation Lake is a highly plotted fast-paced noir and yet full of ideas and depth. Rachel Kushner is the most exciting writer of her generation.” —Bret Easton Ellis
“Creation Lake reinvents the spy novel in one cool, erudite gesture. Only Rachel Kushner could weave environmental activism, paranoia, and nihilism into a gripping philosophical thriller. Enthralling and sleekly devious, this book is also a lyrical reflection on both the origin and the fate of our species. A novel this brilliant and profound shouldn’t be this much fun.” —Hernan Diaz
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- Book Cover Image (jpg): Creation Lake Hardcover 9781982116521
- Author Photo (jpg): Rachel Kushner Photograph © Chloe Aftel(0.1 MB)
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