A review by khopeisz
Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner

2.75

This book was a DNF for me at the halfway point. I persisted because I did not want to DNF the first book of my 2025 reading year (do not do this, reader, life is too short!!). Also, this book and its author are widely well-known, and until the last page I held out hope that I would be moved by something.

This book was primarily written both passively and with narrative summary. So instead of “I walked to the store and spotted my target for my next assignment, [conversation ensues]”; sentences in this book will read like, “Last week, when I walked to the store for my tenth bottle of beer, I had seen Mark. He said hello. I said hello. We discussed the plans for the weekend. He didn’t know what I knew. Hehe. I walked away and drank the beer at my fake lover’s house.” Of course this is a bad example, but hopefully you get the idea. Mostly I am told things instead of shown them, and when things happen I am given a summary of them instead of invited to the scene by way of active verbs and dialogue. For a book about a defunct FBI agent, I thought this was an unusual writing choice. The writing diffused all opportunity for tension.

Secondly, it was a bit too disjointed for me. I would have preferred that the emails from Bruno were spliced between a more linear story line. But in the mix of emails and the progressing story line, we are given flash backs and back story of other assignments and some of these were not purposeful for me.

Was intrigued initially by the inclusion of Bruno’s emails and their effect on the main character. However, Bruno’s philosophies were too all encompassing, which is realistic for a fringe thinker. They have an opinion on everything. But for this book these ideas are too overwhelming. I think the themes would have been more effective if they were more focused. That we started the book on Neanderthals and ended with satellites, like I guess I get it but the thru line was a bit much.

I know nothing about the main character. Like nothing. Which may have been the point. You’re looking at me like duh that’s the point. But did she not have a childhood? A moment in grace? A traumatic incident? Did she completely eliminate her emotions towards her personal identity, the same identity that would have 1) led her to become a special agent and 2) led her to be transfixed by Bruno? I have no motivation for why she lives the life she lives or pursues the ideology she ends up pursuing. Therefore, I am not compelled to care about her. Which is a little mind numbing when you realize this book is basically her interiority. I am inside the mind of someone with no motives outside of drinking and I guess money.

There were too many men in this book. Not a misandrist note, it was just getting to be a little bit muddled trying to distinguish everyone from each other. Some of these men were pointless.

If Kushner was trying to say something with this book I completely missed it, and I’m usually an astute reader. If this was just supposed to be more of a genre book, then the writing was not engaging enough for me. Also there was a note about this being funny? A comedy, perhaps? I didn’t laugh ever, so I don’t know where that came from.

Anyway, my kindest recommendation is that you pass on this book, but if it gets adapted into a limited series that might be interesting to watch on your phone maybe.