Creation Lake

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of child death and gender discrimination.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. How did you initially respond to Sadie as a protagonist, given her lack of conventional ethics and her manipulative approach to relationships? Did your feelings toward her change throughout the novel?

2. Creation Lake presents multiple critiques of industrial capitalism through characters with differing approaches to resistance. Which character’s perspective resonated most with you, and what about their worldview did you find compelling or troubling?

3. Readers of Rachel Kushner’s earlier novel The Flamethrowers might notice similarities in how both books feature complex female protagonists navigating male-dominated worlds. If you have read both, how do you think Sadie compares to Reno as a character? If this is your first time reading Kushner, how does Sadie challenge or conform to typical portrayals of women in literary spy thrillers?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Sadie justifies her morally questionable actions through pragmatism, viewing her self-interest as rational. Have you ever found yourself making similarly pragmatic calculations? How did you reconcile them with your broader ethical principles?