Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner is one of the most talked-about recent releases readers keep adding to their lists and it is easy to see why: an American spy infiltrates a radical eco-commune in rural France.
What it's about
Rachel Kushner sends a cool, calculating undercover operative to infiltrate a commune of French radicals, weaving espionage with big ideas about civilization, deep time and human nature. It is a novel of intelligence and menace, as interested in Neanderthals and philosophy as in the spy plot.
Why everyone's talking about it
Creation Lake was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and widely acclaimed, cementing Kushner's status as one of the most ambitious American novelists working. It was one of the year's literary talking points.
The verdict, for now
If you like your literary fiction smart, slippery and faintly dangerous, this rewards you. Come for the infiltration, stay for a mind ranging across all of human history.
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