Radical politics, confused heroines and the threat of violence are the main ingredients of Rachel Kushner’s novels. With her second book, The flamethrowers (2013) she was hailed as one of the greatest American novelists of the century. Despite being nominated for the Booker Prize for her third novel, The Mars Room (2018), which is set in a California women’s prison, it remains unnoticed by many readers outside America.
Her new novel, Lake of Creationwhich was nominated for this year’s Booker, could change that. It’s a spy drama full of surprising revelations and a steady backstory reveal. The book delves into anarchy, farming and prehistory, offering a murderous plot and masterful pacing, all wrapped up in the fun of well-crafted fiction. The narrator, Sadie, a 34-year-old American, is a memorable Kushner heroine. A polyglot former postgraduate with a stunning figure and plain face, Sadie is a spy for hire after being fired from the FBI for a botched operation involving an animal rights activist.
Now in Guyenne in southwest France, Sadie is tracking the founders of a radical agricultural cooperative called Le Moulin. They are suspected of sabotaging a government-approved scheme to convert the local fields into a corn monoculture. Their secret backer insists she finds evidence of wrongdoing. If she doesn’t find any, she’ll have to invent some.
The early chapters alternate between Sadie’s trip to Guyenne and her reading of hacked correspondence between the Moulinards and their older mentor Bruno. Bruno, a former ’60s radical who lives in a cave, types eccentric theories on his daughter’s computer. His thoughts, which mix speculation and fact, revolve around real-life persecution, the Neanderthals, and the subversive power of sleep.
Sadie integrates herself into the commune disguised as a translator. Bruno’s theories, while far-fetched, become fascinating in Sadie’s wry summaries. The plot thickens as Sadie becomes closer to the Moulin’s leader, Pascal, a wealthy Parisian. The novel then introduces a diverse cast of characters: locals from the countryside, young intellectuals from the capital, factory workers recovering from failed strike action, and even a serial criminal from New York.
The novel’s complexity is further enhanced by a cameo from a thinly disguised Michel Houellebecq. Sadie herself acts as the central drama, suggesting that spies, not surprisingly, don’t tell the whole story. Her unreliable narration, informed by her own vulnerabilities, adds tension to the narrative. For example, she claims that drinking makes her a better driver, but her waking rhythm is compromised by Xanax and whiskey.
Sadie’s resume includes selling fake Picassos on behalf of a dealer looking to discredit his competitors, and yet we can’t help but cheer her on.
This book is unusual in its portrayal of a villain serving powerful interests. Despite her morally questionable actions, readers are drawn to Sadie. She has sold fake Picassos in the past, among other things, but is also a compelling narrator full of boastful, caustic and savage insights. She spares no detail when it comes to her disdain for Italian food, why graffiti is worse than murder and what constitutes “the real Europe.”
The closest thing to violence in most of the novel is the merciless killing of a sick cow. This act reminds us that what Chekhov said about a gun on stage also applies to the four hidden weapons Sadie possesses. The last 100 pages are full of suspense, balancing danger and farce into a non-stop entertainment.
• Lake of Creation by Rachel Kushner is published by Jonathan Cape (£18.99).
Source: Guardian
