Creation Lake

Meet Sadie Smith: seductive, cunning and going undercover – the Booker-shortlisted, wickedly entertaining New York Times bestseller ‘Hugely enjoyable’ SUNDAY TIMES ‘Wonderfully seductive’ ALAN HOLLINGHURST ‘Really fantastic – get it!’ SARAH JESSICA PARKER ‘Entrancing’ MICK HERRON Sadie Smith – a 34-year-old American undercover agent of ruthless tactics and bold opinions – is sent by her mysterious but powerful employers to a remote corner of France. Her mission: to infiltrate a commune of radical activists influenced by the beliefs of an enigmatic elder, Bruno Lacombe. But just as she is certain she’s the seductress and puppet master of those she surveils, Sadie becomes caught in the crossfire between the past and the future… ‘ Kill Bill written by John le Carré’ OBSERVER ‘Smart, sinuous…brimming with heat’ NEW YORK TIMES ‘Reinvents the spy novel in one cool, erudite gesture’ HERNAN DIAZ ‘Laced with a killer dose of deadpan wit’ WASHINGTON POST * A BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES , GUARDIAN , DAILY TELEGRAPH , NEW YORK TIMES , VOGUE , INDEPENDENT , HARPER’S BAZAAR AND MORE *

Meet Sadie Smith: seductive, cunning and going undercover – the Booker-shortlisted, wickedly entertaining New York Times bestseller ‘Hugely enjoyable’ SUNDAY TIMES ‘Wonderfully seductive’ ALAN HOLLINGHURST ‘Really fantastic – get it!’ SARAH JESSICA PARKER ‘Entrancing’ MICK HERRON Sadie Smith – a 34-year-old American undercover agent of ruthless tactics and bold opinions – is sent by her mysterious but powerful employers to a remote corner of France. Her mission: to infiltrate a commune of radical activists influenced by the beliefs of an enigmatic elder, Bruno Lacombe. But just as she is certain she’s the seductress and puppet master of those she surveils, Sadie becomes caught in the crossfire between the past and the future… ‘ Kill Bill written by John le Carré’ OBSERVER ‘Smart, sinuous…brimming with heat’ NEW YORK TIMES ‘Reinvents the spy novel in one cool, erudite gesture’ HERNAN DIAZ ‘Laced with a killer dose of deadpan wit’ WASHINGTON POST * A BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES , GUARDIAN , DAILY TELEGRAPH , NEW YORK TIMES , VOGUE , INDEPENDENT , HARPER’S BAZAAR AND MORE *

**SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2024** **INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER** 'Imagine Slow Horses ’ Jackson Lamb in the body of Jodie Comer’s character in Killing Eve ' SUNDAY TIMES 'Compulsively readable... Kill Bill written by John le Carré' OBSERVER 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 *A BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES , NEW YORK TIMES , INDEPENDENT , DAILY TELEGRAPH , THE ATLANTIC , GUARDIAN , VULTURE , THE ECONOMIST *

**SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2024** **INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER** 'Imagine Slow Horses ’ Jackson Lamb in the body of Jodie Comer’s character in Killing Eve ' SUNDAY TIMES 'Compulsively readable... Kill Bill written by John le Carré' OBSERVER 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 *A BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES , NEW YORK TIMES , INDEPENDENT , DAILY TELEGRAPH , THE ATLANTIC , GUARDIAN , VULTURE , THE ECONOMIST *

**SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2024** **INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER** 'Imagine Slow Horses ’ Jackson Lamb in the body of Jodie Comer’s character in Killing Eve ' SUNDAY TIMES 'Compulsively readable... Kill Bill written by John le Carré' OBSERVER 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 *A BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES , NEW YORK TIMES , INDEPENDENT , DAILY TELEGRAPH , THE ATLANTIC , GUARDIAN , VULTURE , THE ECONOMIST *

Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2024 by LitHub , The Millions , Vogue , Harper's Bazaar , The Guardian , and Publishers Weekly From Rachel Kushner, a Booker Prize finalist, two-time National Book Award finalist, and "one of the most gifted authors of her generation" ( The New York Times Book Review ), comes a new novel about a seductive and cunning American woman who infiltrates an anarchist collective in France--a propulsive page-turner of glittering insights and dark humor. Creation Lake is a novel about a secret agent, a thirty-four-year-old American woman of ruthless tactics, bold opinions, and clean beauty, who 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.

Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2024 by LitHub , The Millions , Vogue , Harper's Bazaar , The Guardian , and Publishers Weekly From Rachel Kushner, a Booker Prize finalist, two-time National Book Award finalist, and "one of the most gifted authors of her generation" ( The New York Times Book Review ), comes a new novel about a seductive and cunning American woman who infiltrates an anarchist collective in France--a propulsive page-turner of glittering insights and dark humor. Creation Lake is a novel about a secret agent, a thirty-four-year-old American woman of ruthless tactics, bold opinions, and clean beauty, who 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.