The concept for this story was excellent, but the execution of the idea fell a little short. I heard an interview with the author who stated she wanted to write a book from seven different points of view and this is that book. She said she was not for sure she could write a book from that many points of view, but wanted to try, as doing so was nothing she had done before. In other words, this book was an experiment and we, the reader, were the guinea pig. The chapters alternate between the seven character’s points of view, although there is a lot of overlap in some of the chapters. I think the author was too ambitious to tackle so many points of view in the book. It would have been a better read if it were limited to a few less perspectives.

The story revolves around seven, yes, seven, different characters. Pak Yoo owns a business that provides hyperbaric oxygen chamber to multiple people at the same time. The chamber is called the “Miracle Submarine” and fits several people simultaneously. Young Yoo is his wife. She and their daughter Mary immigrated to the USA from Korea and Pak later joined them in the US.

The other characters are patients who take “dives” in the submarine. Matt Thompson, who battles infertility, is a patient. Teresa Santiago’s daughter Rosa, who has cerebral palsy is a patient. Elizabeth Ward’s son Henry, who is autistic, is also a patient, as is Kitt Kozlowski and her son TJ.

One day during a session, there is a fire and Henry and Kitt are killed in the fire. Pak is wounded trying to rescue the patients. His daughter Mary is also injured and goes into a coma. Matt’s hand is severely burned trying to remove a helmet from Henry’s head and he loses two fingers.

Elizabeth is charged for the murder, as it is believed she started the fire. The book is a legal thriller and much of the book is consumed by details of the trial and ultimately, the truth comes out as to who started the fire.

This book could easily have been a five star read except for two issues. First, the book is too long, way too long. At 350 pages, it is about 100 pages too long. The story dragged in many places and there were times I did not want to pick it back up and continue reading. But there were sections where I could not wait to read the next chapter. Had there been fewer points of view, the book would have been shorter and a much better read. Seven different points of view was too many.

Secondly, there are lots of multiple points of view in the same chapter, i.e., head hopping. For example, in one chapter from Matt’s point of view, we are told what Abe is thinking. How does Matt know what Abe is thinking?

Had the book been shorter and the plot a little tighter, I could easily have given this book 5 stars. But it was still a good read and a solid 4 star book. ( )

Miracle Creek is a mystery about an act of arson that killed two people. The author does an excellent job of telling a story where even though there is the character that is guilty of the act of setting the fire, many of the characters contributed to the chain of events that resulted in the fire. There are no characters that are completely guilt free. I appreciated that aspect of the story as much as I appreciated finding out "whodunnit." The book also does a great job conveying the stories of recent immigrants and parents with special needs children. This would be a great book for a book club. ( )

Premio Edgar a la Mejor Primera Novela Es el primer día del juicio, y allí están todos. En Miracle Creek ha llegado la hora de saber qué fue lo que pasó ese día, hace justo un año, cuando el trágico incendio de aquella cápsula hiperbárica cambió la vida de todos para siempre. ¿Es posible que sea verdad que Elizabeth provocó el incendio en el que murió su pequeño hijo autista? ¿Será condenada a muerte por ello? ¿Qué estaba haciendo en ese momento Pak, el dueño de ´Miracle Submarine´, el negocio que ofrecía esta terapia alternativa? Desde que llegó como inmigrante de Corea, junto a Young, su mujer, y Mary, su hija adolescente, juró que nada podría hacer fracasar la nueva vida de su familia después de tanto sacrificio. Mientras, entre los testigos, otras madres de hijos autistas conocen mejor que nadie los complejos y contradictorios sentimientos que las invaden a veces, y que confesaban en esas sesiones de terapia hiperbárica, esperando que algo funcionara. Y está el pueblo, con sus prejuicios, y sus secretos, y los demás testigos que deberán hablar en el juicio, pero que quizás callen para que no estalle su propia vida. ¿Cuánto vale proteger a los que amamos, hasta dónde mentir, y hasta dónde enfrentarse a los propios errores? ¿Tanto como la vida de un inocente? ( )

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 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 ( )

Read as audiobook and wish I hadn't. I always feel like I get a bit distracted and don't get the full effect.
This was a great storyline with lots of potential suspects that keep you pondering whodunit. I guessed the correct offender pretty early but still kept me second guessing it.
There was also an interesting underlying message about the conflicted feelings and/or struggles that may plague parents, especially of disabled children and the pressures they may experience. ( )