Miracle Creek

**Updated review

Thank you to Gallery Match, Angie Kim and Picador USA for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Angie Kim’s writing is so eloquent and emotional, I didn’t feel like I was reading a debut novel. This book wasn’t unputdownable for me, but rather a slow-paced adventure that I savored over several days...like a super yummy dessert!

As each person tells their story, they express their private thoughts and shocking secrets, in this courtroom drama. So many characters chose to hide information they didn’t think was relevant to the trial. It was disturbing to know that so much crucial information was being withheld. And other information was being twisted to fit the claims of the lawyers. Deciding on Elizabeth’s show more guilt or innocence was hard...as was considering other suspects.

“It scared Matt a little, how these lawyers could take a given set of facts and spin them in opposite directions.”

Elizabeth, the young mother of an autistic son is on trial for his murder. It’s easy to condemn her. She presents as an emotionless monster. Her actions aren’t what we consider “normal” for a grieving mother. Some even describe her behavior as creepy. Is there a “normal” way to act after your child has been killed? Or is it possible that she committed this horrendous crime?

“Elizabeth’s laugh had felt like that, like she’d been in so much pain that she’d bypassed crying, straight past it to something beyond: a grief-stricken cackle that transmitted more pain than any sob or scream.”

I was saddened by the fact that she sat in the courtroom alone, with no support from family or friends. Her parenting skills and every negative comment she made regarding Henry was put on display to be dissected. Her words were taken out of context and judged harshly. Haven’t all parents spit out words in anger, that they later wanted to take back? I know I have. The daily demands and challenges she faced as a single parent of an autistic child were brushed aside, as if it wasn’t outside the scope of typical parenting. Even “friends” were willing to convict her because of their twisted impression.

Pak and Young Yoo, Korean immigrants, play another important part of the story. They start an experimental medical treatment clinic—HBOT—designed to help autism and many other issues. Henry attends these “dives” at Miracle Submarines on a daily basis. Were the Yoos willing to sacrifice their business for an insurance pay out, because their American dream didn’t prove to be what they hoped for?

Young’s sense of right and wrong was so strong, she was one of my favorite characters! I can’t wait to read future books by this author. Her writing is amazing.

Angie Kim’s Miracle Creek is a thoroughly contemporary take on the courtroom drama, drawing on the author’s own life as a Korean immigrant, former trial lawyer, and mother of a real-life “submarine” patient. An addictive debut novel for fans of Liane Moriarty and Celeste Ng, Miracle Creek is both a twisty page-turner and a deeply moving story about the way inconsequential lies and secrets can add up—with tragic consequences.

My Rating: 4 ⭐️’s
Published: Picador USA
Pages: 357

Recommend: Yes!

#GalleyMatch Twitter: @AngieKimWriter Instagram: @angiekimask show less

DAYUM! This book was gripping from page one. A "submarine" used to immerse patients with high oxygen flow explodes, killing a few patients and injuring others. The submarine was a new kind of treatment used to treat disabled kids as well as other ailments so the deaths and injuries are even more harrowing. All fingers point to Elizabeth, the mom of the little boy who was killed, as the culprit. She "suspiciously" sat out from the submarine and was caught drinking and smoking with the same kind of cigarettes that were used to start the fire. As the story unfolds, each chapter is told through another character; from the people who ran it, to the people inside the submarine when it caught fire. Angie Kim did a damn good job writing complex show more characters that make it impossible to determine who the culprit is. Slowly it emerges that many have motives, many have weak alibis, and many have way more involvement in this tragedy then they realize. This book is fast paced and heartbreaking. Full of twists and turns that kept me guessing. Storytelling at it's finest. show less

A highly engrossing debut novel, that definitely draws on Kim’s background in courtroom law. However, apart from the twist-and-turn courtroom drama on display here in Miracle Creek, there is far more at work as the reader navigates the characters’ individual reactions to the truths elicited on the stand and also the lies that they all hold inside them about the same event: the explosion of an HBOT chamber (hyperbaric oxygen therapy) that results in the deaths of an autistic child and a mother of another child on the spectrum, as well as permanent injuries to other people, all either undertaking this experimental procedure or in some way connected with its operation.

Husbands lying to spouses; children lying to parents; parents show more resenting their special needs children: this could be the stuff of genre-lit—more specifically, the stuff of mainstream fiction. And while Miracle Creek is certainly that, it does investigate some hard truths about very important issues: what it means to be an immigrant in America; the pull of family ties; the stress, agony, and life-sucking burden of having special needs children; and what it means to be human, how all of us are connected to our communities—both in the face of tragedy and in the more mundane moments.

Kim delves into these humane issues with the expertise of a more seasoned novelist with grace and ease, to be sure; the only downside—for this reader, anyway—to this pretty addictive read (a great summer/beach book, in case you're looking for one) are the far more than occasional sentences that read clumsily and/or perhaps needed a better editor.

4/4.5 stars show less

This is a complicated and unusual story, though when you are reading it, it will all seem understandable and uncomplicated. We have the Yoos, wo are an immigrant family from Korea, who own a hyperbaric oxygen therapy tank in the Virginia town of Miracle Creek. We learn that the little town didn't look like a place where any miracles, big or small, had, or would ever take place, unless it's the miracle of people living there for years without going completely insane from boredom. Are you ready for this one? We are now introduced to a "medical miracle" called HBOT treatment, "Hyper Baric Oxygen Therapy"... which I kid you not...involves people sitting in a "submarine" like chamber breathing pure, pressurized oxygen. The treatment is show more supposed to be effective in remediating autism and male infertility...those are the conditions that defines the majority of the people who are in the "submarine" when a fire, that know was set by an arsonist, causes it to explode. Two people are killed; others survive paralyzed or with amputations. This being given as the background; the story opens as the murder trial of the mother of a boy who died in the fire begins. As we come to understand the pressures she has been under as the single mother of a special needs child, it does not seem impossible to believe that she is responsible. All the characters have made lying an "Olympic event". They tell some whoopers about what they were doing that evening...so of course we know that it can't be all that simple. With so many complications and dangling loose ends, one of the true miracles of the story is that the author ties it all together and arrives at a surprisingly satisfying, though not easy or sentimental, ending. Intricate plotting and courtroom theatrics, combined with insights into parenting special needs children and the psychology of immigrants, make this book not only a genuine "learning experience", but also a page turner. I had to give it 5-stars for how well the author pulled this story off with this questionable cast of characters. show less

Miracle Creek is an intricately crafted family and courtroom drama from debut novelist Angie Kim. I picked this one up after taking a self-imposed break with "suspense/thriller" books because they were all feeling rather similar and just couldn't hold my attention.

Miracle Creek was a surprise hit, not only because it kept me guessing until the end, but because of it's amazing depth and deep dive into so many important issues. While the courtroom drama was center stage, immigration, the hopes for experiencing the "American dream", and caring for children with special needs was right there too. There were so many layers to Kim's amazing storytelling. This wasn't an easy read but it was so compelling and thought-provoking which was show more exactly what I had been missing lately with these "types" of books.

HBOT (Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy) was an entirely new concept to me and I found it added so much to the storyline. Kim was able to add so much emotion during this reading journey that I was able to connect with all the different characters perspectives, even when I couldn't always relate to their actual experiences.

I am so impressed with Angie Kim and I look forward to reading what she comes out with next!

I received an Advanced Review Copy of Miracle Creek by Angie Kim from the publisher Farrar, Straus and Giroux through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. show less

Der kleine Ort Miracle Creek wird zum Schauplatz eines tragischen Unglücks: Eine in einer Scheune aufgestellte Druckkammer, in der Behandlungen mit reinem Sauerstoff durchgeführt werden, explodiert und ein achtjähriger autistischer Junge sowie eine Mutter von fünf Kindern sterben. Doch was zunächst wie ein Unglück aussieht, stellt sich als Verbrechen heraus. Die Mutter des Achtjährigen soll ein Feuer gelegt haben, das die Ursache für die Explosion war. Alle Indizien sprechen gegen sie und auch ihr Verhalten vor Gericht entkräftet diesen Verdacht nicht.

Erzählt wird die Geschichte, ausgehend von der dreitägigen Gerichtsverhandlung, aus Sicht verschiedener Betroffener, sodass nach und nach Wahrheiten ans Licht kommen, die das show more Geschehene jeweils in ein völlig anderes Licht rücken. Obwohl ich vergleichsweise früh vermutete, wer für Alles verantwortlich zu machen ist, verursachte jeder neue Perspektivwechsel auch neue Zweifel. Wirklich gut gemacht!

Doch dieses Buch ist nicht nur ein einfacher Krimi, der sich um die Frage nach dem oder der Schuldigen dreht, obwohl dieser Fall sicherlich seitenfüllend genug gewesen wäre. Angie Kim, die Autorin, greift Themen auf, die nicht nur aktuell sondern auch eher unschicklich sind und über die man sonst lieber schweigt. Es geht um Rassismus gegenüber und unter Einwanderern sowie um behinderte Kinder bzw. deren Mütter, die bei der Betreuung schier Unmenschliches leisten. Dass Angie Kim damit ihre eigenen Erfahrungen gemacht hat, wie sie in verschiedenen Interviews mitteilte, merkt man dem Buch an, wie ich finde.

Schwerpunkt der Geschichte ist die Mutter (Eltern) – Kind – Beziehung, wobei es hier hauptsächlich um Kinder mit teils schwersten Behinderungen geht. Während die Einen versuchen, ihrem behindertem Kind mit Disziplin und Strenge zu einem besseren Leben zu verhelfen und alles, wirklich alles probieren, versuchen die Anderen es mit größerer Lockerheit. Was sie jedoch verbindet, ist, dass sie ihr eigenes Leben aufgeben und es voll und ganz in den ‚Dienst‘ ihrer Kinder stellen – ob diese nun gesund sind oder nicht. Es wird als Selbstverständlichkeit angesehen, aber dass sie darüber zeitweise (ver)zweifeln, Gedanken hegen, die man besser nicht ausspricht – darüber redet man lieber nicht miteinander. Tut man es doch, kann man schnell in Teufels Küche kommen.

Eine richtig tolle Lektüre, die nicht nur spannend ist, sondern auch einen Einblick in andere Welten verschafft. show less

Miracle Creek by Angie Kim was such a heavy but incredibly well-written read. What starts as a courtroom trial quickly unfolds into something much deeper, layered with themes of immigration, motherhood, disability, guilt, and the impossible pressures placed on families. I appreciated how every character felt flawed and human, even when their choices were difficult to understand.

The story kept me questioning what really happened and who was truly at fault for most of the book, although I did figure out the responsible party before the final reveal. Even so, the emotional weight and layered storytelling kept me fully invested until the end.

This is definitely not a light read, and I found myself emotionally drained at times, so I would show more absolutely recommend checking trigger warnings beforehand. Still, it was powerful, thought-provoking, and the kind of book that stays with you long after you finish it. show less