SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2024 BOOKER PRIZE LONGLISTED FOR THE 2024 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 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. A thirty-four-year-old American woman—a secret agent—is sent to do dirty work in France. “Sadie Smith” is how the narrator introduces herself to her lover, to the rural commune of French subversives on whom she is keeping tabs, and to the reader. Sadie has met her love, Lucien, a young and well-born Parisian, by “cold bump”—making him believe the encounter was accidental. Like everyone Sadie 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 centuries-old farms and ancient caves, Sadie becomes entranced by a mysterious figure named Bruno Lacombe, a mentor to the young activists who communicates only by email. Bruno believes that the path to emancipation from what ails modern life 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 Lacombe 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 as a novelist, a work of high art, high comedy, and unforgettable pleasure.
Rachel Kushner
Rachel Kushner is an American novelist known for her critically acclaimed works that explore themes of art, politics, and society. Her most notable works include "The Flamethrowers" and "The Mars Room," both of which have been praised for their vivid prose and incisive commentary on contemporary culture. Kushner's writing style is characterized by its sharp wit, complex characters, and meticulous attention to detail. She has been celebrated for her ability to capture the complexities of human experience and the intricacies of power dynamics in her storytelling. "The Flamethrowers" was a finalist for the National Book Award and received widespread acclaim for its bold narrative and richly drawn characters. Rachel Kushner's contributions to literature have had a significant impact on the literary genre, influencing a new generation of writers with her innovative approach to storytelling and her insightful exploration of the human condition.
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