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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
dark
informative
slow-paced
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So surprised that the female protagonist is written by a woman. Felt like a surface level attempt to write a character who is deep and has a past, but doesn't actually present in an interesting way, just talking about her fake boobs and making comments about not getting attached. I don't need to like the main character to enjoy a book but I do need them to be believable. Nothing about her felt real or had any depth. Didn't enjoy the bizarre mix of musings on human history or stars mixed in with a plot that doesn't go anywhere. Would not recommend.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really tried I just could not get with it
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner is an interesting book that many will consider high art, and for good reason. Every single line of prose in this book is intentionally plotted and placed. Many lit geeks will rejoice over the novel’s subversive and sarcastic overtones and theme, as well.
It’s easy to see how the protagonist ‘Sadie Smith’ becomes enamored with Bruno Lacombe’s writing over the course of the novel. His character, whom she never actually meets, is humanistically compelling and a deep thinker, leaving us with quotable passages and evolutionary ethics to ponder. He also holds many contradictions as— we’re reminded via other characters in the novel— most humans do. All characters, that is, except Sadie.
Sadie’s character is unlikable and jaded, which is probably to be expected of a sometimes-effectual spy for hire with a chip on her shoulder. But we never learn that much about her and her personal history and what led her to the life she lives, in stark contrast to what we learn about Bruno and the other characters in the novel and what makes them tick. And I think this omission prevents readers from truly connecting with the theme of the novel and its denouement, which is perhaps the point, but still worth pondering.
This novel presents important topics to consider: the hypocrisy inherent in hippie communes that are ‘off the grid’, the nuances of human nature and industry, humans’ relationships with nature and the industries they create, etc. Yet it doesn’t make strong claims or arguments via any of its characters, who end up seeming somewhat homogenous in the end. All the characters are flatly contorted into jaded and sardonic and terrible caricatures in a way. All but Bruno, whom no one ever interacts with face-to-face. And I’m not sure how effective this is to the novel’s theme, though it is certainly worth further contemplation.
Overall, I would recommend this book to lit geeks who enjoy sarcasm and intellectually driven narratives, but don’t need much character development or likeable and/or relatable characters.
Here are some notable passages from the book:
“What is it people encounter in their stark and solitary four a.m. self? What is inside them?
Not politics. There are no politics inside of people.
The truth of a person, under all the layers and guises, the significations of group and type, the quiet truth, underneath the noise of opinions and ‘beliefs,’ is a substance that is pure and stubborn and consistent. It is hard, white salt.
This salt is the core. The four a.m. reality of being.” (p.209)
“If you sold art or published under your own name or had a job, you were considered a lowlife… The rules for inclusion in our group were arbitrary and strict, and there were purges.” (p.323)
“‘A caveman isn’t rejecting what’s around him. That’s for intellectuals, people who have overthought everything. You have to deal with life as it is. This guy is talking about half a million years ago, but he’s writing about it on a computer…’” (p.332)
“What kind of person would manipulate and frame young people with utopian hopes and principles?... pressuring activists into committing illegal acts, and then disappearing, untraceable and scot-free?” (p.343)
“Understand that you can never leave purely, he said. We want to escape what ails us, into some idyll, but know that when you go, you travel with cargo, stowaways, souvenirs from the old world. Don’t be afraid of them.” (p.403)
Subscribe to Daily Drafts & Dialogues to receive more book reviews and posts about reading and writing in your inbox every day: dailydraftsanddialogues.substack.com
It’s easy to see how the protagonist ‘Sadie Smith’ becomes enamored with Bruno Lacombe’s writing over the course of the novel. His character, whom she never actually meets, is humanistically compelling and a deep thinker, leaving us with quotable passages and evolutionary ethics to ponder. He also holds many contradictions as— we’re reminded via other characters in the novel— most humans do. All characters, that is, except Sadie.
Sadie’s character is unlikable and jaded, which is probably to be expected of a sometimes-effectual spy for hire with a chip on her shoulder. But we never learn that much about her and her personal history and what led her to the life she lives, in stark contrast to what we learn about Bruno and the other characters in the novel and what makes them tick. And I think this omission prevents readers from truly connecting with the theme of the novel and its denouement, which is perhaps the point, but still worth pondering.
This novel presents important topics to consider: the hypocrisy inherent in hippie communes that are ‘off the grid’, the nuances of human nature and industry, humans’ relationships with nature and the industries they create, etc. Yet it doesn’t make strong claims or arguments via any of its characters, who end up seeming somewhat homogenous in the end. All the characters are flatly contorted into jaded and sardonic and terrible caricatures in a way. All but Bruno, whom no one ever interacts with face-to-face. And I’m not sure how effective this is to the novel’s theme, though it is certainly worth further contemplation.
Overall, I would recommend this book to lit geeks who enjoy sarcasm and intellectually driven narratives, but don’t need much character development or likeable and/or relatable characters.
Here are some notable passages from the book:
“What is it people encounter in their stark and solitary four a.m. self? What is inside them?
Not politics. There are no politics inside of people.
The truth of a person, under all the layers and guises, the significations of group and type, the quiet truth, underneath the noise of opinions and ‘beliefs,’ is a substance that is pure and stubborn and consistent. It is hard, white salt.
This salt is the core. The four a.m. reality of being.” (p.209)
“If you sold art or published under your own name or had a job, you were considered a lowlife… The rules for inclusion in our group were arbitrary and strict, and there were purges.” (p.323)
“‘A caveman isn’t rejecting what’s around him. That’s for intellectuals, people who have overthought everything. You have to deal with life as it is. This guy is talking about half a million years ago, but he’s writing about it on a computer…’” (p.332)
“What kind of person would manipulate and frame young people with utopian hopes and principles?... pressuring activists into committing illegal acts, and then disappearing, untraceable and scot-free?” (p.343)
“Understand that you can never leave purely, he said. We want to escape what ails us, into some idyll, but know that when you go, you travel with cargo, stowaways, souvenirs from the old world. Don’t be afraid of them.” (p.403)
Subscribe to Daily Drafts & Dialogues to receive more book reviews and posts about reading and writing in your inbox every day: dailydraftsanddialogues.substack.com