Creation Lake is an ambitious novel that intertwines elements of espionage, philosophy, and environmental activism. Set in the remote Guyenne Valley in southwestern France, the novel follows Sadie Smith—an undercover agent tasked with infiltrating a group of radical environmentalists. The story grapples with humanity’s past and future by using the backdrop of ecological crisis and revolutionary ideologies to examine deeper existential questions. It transcends genre boundaries through a narrative that challenges readers to consider humanity’s historical trajectory, ideological conflict, and personal complicity.
The plot centers on the 34-year-old spy embedded within an eco-activist commune led by Bruno Lacombe. Bruno is a mysterious figure who communicates largely through philosophical musings on the Neanderthals and the failure of modern civilization. Sadie is initially detached and cynical about the commune’s efforts, particularly their commitment to rejecting the tenets of modernity in favor of a pre-agricultural existence. However, as the novel progresses, Bruno’s ideas and persona begin to captivate Sadie, which draws her into a web of intellectual seduction and ideological struggle. The activists work to sabotage industrial projects, such as the construction of megabasins meant to control water supplies, which are seen as symbolic of the wider capitalist exploitation of natural resources. In the end, Sadie distances herself from the activism and intrigue that had previously consumed her life. After witnessing a large-scale police operation targeting the eco-activists in Guyenne, she decides to leave France behind. She travels through Spain to reflect on her experiences and the events that ensued. In this final stage, Sadie adopts a simpler lifestyle by giving up drinking, stopping reading the news, and using the internet, which represents her attempt to distance herself from the complexities of the past.
The rural French landscape evokes a sense of timelessness and decay that mirrors the group’s efforts to fight against the environmental destruction caused by industrialization. Bruno’s fixation on Neanderthals as a lost model of human existence is a philosophical counterpoint to Sadie’s pragmatic detachment. Bruno believes that Homo sapiens have driven the world to the brink of collapse with its overreliance on technology, agriculture, and industry. Kushner weaves together a multi-layered story that functions as both a spy thriller and an intellectual meditation on human history.
This novel engages in a meta-commentary on the nature of espionage itself, where the act of spying becomes a metaphor for deeper inquiries into human nature and society. Sadie embodies the role of a double agent ideologically as she moves between cynical detachment and growing fascination with the commune’s rejection of modernity. As such, the story is a critique of anthropocentrism and the destructive tendencies inherent in modern civilization.
