Breakaway Books

Authored by Rachel Kushner; Published August 2024; Thriller

⭐️⭐️ / 🏖️🏖️

Creation Lake is described as a philosophical thriller, and it’s fair to say I did not vibe with the philosophical elements of the novel. It was beautifully written and introduced a fascinating perspective on the place of Homo sapiens in the history of life on earth, but I cannot say I loved reading it.

The novel follows an undercover agent, Sadie, who receives mysterious missives from an anonymous higher power, directing her to instigate violence on a commune in France. As the story unfolds, we learn more about Sadie’s past and the philosophy of one of the commune founders, largely centered around Neanderthals. Each section of the narrative is interspersed with treatises from the commune founder on the subject—at times, insightful, and other times, a seeming distraction from the story.

Sadie’s interactions with the commune itself were somewhat depressing: the characters were almost caricatures of themselves, their actions and arguments predictable. But the in group/out group dynamic that evolved was meticulously accurate. The author masterfully describes the little, subtle ways that people separate themselves from each other and pass judgment, even in a group that likes to believe itself separate from modern-day society, like this one. 

I struggled with Sadie as the narrator and de facto protagonist. She seemed to grow and develop over the course of the novel, but her guarded emotions made it difficult for me to tell. Her nihilism was glaringly obvious, and this philosophy made it difficult for me to empathize with her as the hero. In the end, the violence she is directed to instigate does not turn out precisely as planned, and she finds herself unmoored and drifting.

Creation Lake felt 20% thriller, 80% philosophy. The ratio didn’t work for me—but if you do want to contemplate the meaning of humanity and life on earth, this one might be for you.