Creation Lake

The addictive New York Times bestseller from the Booker Prize-shortlisted author

Brought to you by Penguin.

**SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2024**

Seductive and cunning American spy-for-hire Sadie Smith has been sent by her mysterious but powerful employers to a remote corner of France.

Her mission: to infiltrate a commune of radical eco-activists influenced by the beliefs of an enigmatic elder, Bruno Lacombe, who has rejected civilisation, lives in a Neanderthal cave, and believes the path to enlightenment is a return to primitivism.

Sadie casts her cynical eye over this region of ancient farms and sleepy villages, and finds Bruno’s idealism laughable, but just as she 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.

Beneath this a taut, dazzling story of espionage and intrigue lies one of a woman caught in the crossfire between the past and the future, and a profound treatise on human history.

'The most exciting writer of her generation' BRET EASTON ELLIS

'Reinvents the spy novel in one cool, erudite gesture' HERNAN DIAZ

'Compulsively readable... Kill Bill written by John le Carré' OBSERVER

©2024 Rachel Kushner (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

One of the best books of the year... ambitious, intelligent and gripping... an expertly slick thriller... Kushner pulls off a remarkable feat (Philip Womack)

Rachel Kushner may have written the novel of the year... A remarkably original book (Rachel Connolly)

Kushner is one of America's greatest living authors

A novel of ideas about nothing less than civilisation itself, delivered in the guise of a thriller – the result is profound and wickedly entertaining

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, which surprised me a lot, because I did not suspect what Rachel Kushner was really up to all along. (Louise Erdrich)

Hugely enjoyable… Creation Lake is a smart, funny novel that dares to contemplate the void of uncertainty where we all stand

A philosophical novel of ideas wrapped up in a spy caper… Irresistible

A dazzling, genre-defying novel, satirical yet profound

Wild and brilliantly plotted… Think Kill Bill written by John le Carré: smart, funny and compulsively readable

Kushner has proved to be one of America’s most intellectually curious novelists....Creation Lake bears all the hallmarks of her inquisitive mind and creative daring... a spy thriller laced with a killer dose of deadpan wit...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

imaginative, magical and thought provoking

The subject matter would not have normally drawn me in and that is why I chose this book. I had read great things about the author and that sealed my choice and I was not disappointed. I loved the authors voice and intonation along with her beautiful French pronunciation. I found myself researching this area of France, the history of the Neanderthal, H. Sapiens and the Cagot people. The storyline was so interesting and intellectual. I so enjoyed reading an adult book with themes one must really digest and think about. I look forward to reading Ms.Kushners other books. Perhaps another escapade involving Sadie?

Riveting read/listen

Quite often writers reading their own work is a terrible mistake. Leave the acting to the professionals. But, in this case, Rachel Kushner reading her own work was a triumph. Seamless pronunciation and pace.

Mind blowing

What a great book. It takes it’s time, it meanders, it moves slow but it sinks into you. Wonderfully read by the author.

Beautiful language, nuanced storytelling

I found this book incredibly compelling despite it continuously delving into rabbit holes of philosophy, feminism and individualism. Not bad for a spy thriller!

Slow and Dull

A dull droning story told by a dull droning narrator. Non of the characters are interesting.