User Profile

Creation Lake is a spy novel, ostensibly, but it's immediately more than that. It's an examination of French politics and class, the "spy cops" scandal, and the demise of Neanderthals.

The book follows Sadie, a corporate spy who's detached to the point of sociopathy. But her wry observations are compelling. She's amoral, brutal and unsentimental, but also smart and amusing. She draws you in though you know she cannot be trusted, even as a narrator.

Rachel Kushner seems unusual in the context of contemporary American literature for her ability to weave global sociopolitical observations into narratives that switch back and further between contemporary issues and historical events.

Kushner's prose is both concise and poetic where it needs to be. She shows real skill in capturing human experiences against historical timescales. What's particularly impressive about this book is Kushner's sharp handling of both time and space. She weaves together the contemporary, the postwar and even the Neolithic in Creation Lake while addressing themes about capitalism, sexism and emic/etic perspectives.

Without getting too wanky about it, this is a deeply intertextual work that won't bore the piss out of you. It rewards reading without punishing you for the act.

The best book I've read in years. Kushner's got game. I haven't read any of her other work, but I'll definitely do so immediately.

@koosli @futzle Yes me too. It's a divisive one!

@pelagikat You're definitely right.

Kushner is a hell of a writer. She's created one of the least likeable narrative POV characters ever, yet I feel compelled to read on. The attention to detail and her clear attention to structure and pacing are great.

Blergh. I decided I don't need this in my life.

I'm about 10% into this and I'm already wondering why I do this to myself. Climate fiction is always such a downer, appropriately.

I should have read this a long time ago. Probably one of the most sublime and groundbreaking comics I've read.

Not as engaging or imaginative as the first, it mostly served to tie up plot points and intrigue. I've begun the third book but in many ways it seems unneeded? Perhaps McLeod will explore new ideas in it.