Creation Lake: A Novel

Creation Lake: A Novel by Rachel Kushner

A woman works as a freelance spy. She infiltrates a group of French activists that have been known to be violent in their activities. She tries to gain confidence both physically and romantically. Much is spent on her describing her backstory and her concerns with her job. The climax involves a big ag fair in town. A French official is planning to visit. She is asked by her contact to help knock off the official. She tries to encourage some to take a gun, but they refuse. The official eventually is lured into an "accidental death" through some unstable logs, which seems a good solution for all. While this could be a big spoiler, the "climatic" part is almost an afterthought. I missed it the first time through. The story and narration are in a conversational matter-of-fact tone. It is hard to get involved with the novel.