I loved the premise of Creation Lake, and I was captivated by the mocking, ruthless, fickle freelance spy "Sadie." But the story and pacing became bogged down by others' motivations, and I was left wanting more page time focused on our spy.
"Sadie Smith" is an American secret agent--she used to work for the government, but used "questionable tactics" to "entrap" subjects, so now she's in the private sector, working for shadowy bosses who are directing her actions toward unknown ends.
She's sent to France to infiltrate a subversive commune. She has made her young lover Lucien believe they met by chance, but "Sadie" is actually milking him for information.
When she stumbles across extensive communications from Bruno, a mysterious figure who trains the young activists and serves as their mentor from afar, she believes she's mining his long emails for information.
The main protagonist is cutthroat, darkly funny, and fascinating in her rejection of expectations. She references past jobs and her unflinching, unsentimental approach to her life and work. I wanted more about her and her dark humor, but the story feels split. Much of the page time is spent on what were for me like plodding explorations of others' motivations around environmental concerns. This slowed the pacing down and I had a tough time staying engaged.
While Bruno at first seems old-fashioned, telling his stories and considering the shape of history, he begins garnering sympathy from Sadie and then her interest, as his perspective and thoughtful reflections seem to hold value in a way that the young activists' bickering and directionless dissatisfaction do not. Bruno's obsession with Neanderthal life and their supposed contributions to society feel foolish at first, but his increasingly involved suppositions illustrate lessons about humans, their priorities, the past, and the future.
Sadie's growing suspicions about her employers' seemingly nefarious goals and her role in them begin to make her question things in -ay she seems to not have before. The ending involves a dramatic blowing-up of the status quo. But I was left yearning for more tension, tighter pacing, and additional time with Sadie at the center of the story.
I'd love to hear your thoughts about this book!
Rachel Kushner is also the author of The Mars Room, The Flamethrowers, and Telex from Cuba, as well as a book of short stories, The Strange Case of Rachel K.
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