Miracle Creek: A Novel

"It was almost as if the fates conspired to manipulate that day's events in in just such a way to lead [...] to light that match." This was a BREATHTAKING read. Breathtaking in that I didn't know where this crafty, complex mystery was going to throw me next. Breathtaking in that it's the heartbreaking story of devoted, exhausted, loving, and loveless parents, all of whom are willing to go above and beyond for their children. And, well, breathtaking in that it centres around an experimental medical procedure involving pressurized oxygen: A procedure that is newly being tested in a barn in Miracle Creek, VA. A barn that's about to go up in flames. Literally. Who is willing to endanger and end innocent lives? What motive could they possibly have? It may be a small town where everyone seems to know everyone, but, as the townspeople of Miracle Creek are soon to discover in a gruelling trial, nobody really knows anyone, do they? This story, like the solution to the mystery itself, is the sum of what feels like a million tiny details. Author Angie Kim is masterful at pivoting from character to character, stopping only long enough to allow one single drop of detail blot an entire clear vision of what's to come. Each detail made me want to keep going, so much so that I polished the book off much quicker than my average read. This is a story in three strands - Miracle Creek is more than just an edge-of-your-seat courtroom drama. And it's more than a medically charged mystery. It's also tragically beautiful tale of first-generation Korean immigrants just trying to get a slice of a promised better life in America. Each strand of the tale is legitimized by Kim's firsthand experience: She's a Korean immigrant, a formal trial lawyer, and a mother to a "submarine" patient. Her story is what charges the narrative here. We're lucky to have her as a new voice - I can't wait to read whatever she publishes next. I cannot recommend this book enough. Be sure to get a copy.

If I had to describe this book in one word it would have to be 'original'. Miracle Creek includes themes such as the problems faced by immigrants and the issues faced by families raising children with special needs. As well it is a book about a particularly nasty crime, its resultant court case and the resounding effects this all has on many peoples' lives. Apparently the author has experienced some of the issues herself and she seems to write from the heart. I could understand how the mothers of these special children loved them totally but still lived with the guilt of sometimes wishing they were not there. There are some rather gory deaths and many possible suspects, all equally unpleasant people intent on protecting themselves rather than helping solve the crime. In fact most of them are positively hindering an outcome. The court room scenes are excellent and very entertaining. I felt that the book ran out of steam a little towards the end and the conclusion was a weak spot in the book. So four stars from me for an excellent debut by this obviously promising author.

Interesting story. Simply told, and not always in a good way. Not sure that it earns all of its accolades. Unsurprisingly, the only straight white character in the story is a putz and unsurprisingly, that leads to gushing accolades from the likes of Oprah and the book club set. A little TMI in places where it wasn't needed and could use an editorial trim. The ending is a little contrived. Not great, but horrible either.

It has been a few days since I finished reading Miracle Creek. While I was reading it, I could only imagine how good this book will be as a movie. I usually don't like court dramas but I think Angie Kim did her best work by delivering us the lies and the truth through the characters on the stand and in the courtroom. Miracle Creek tells us the story of the death of an autistic child during a hyperbaric oxygen treatment or "dive" caused by a fire in August of 2008. A year later, Elizabeth, the mother is on trial and if found guilty, she could receive the death penalty. Through four days of the trial and the voices of the Yoo's (Young (mother), Pak (father) and Mary (teenage daughter)) Matt Thompson and his wife, Janine Cho, and Teresa Santiago, Angie Kim begins presenting to us the true events that happened the night of the fire. Was Elizabeth the only one with a reason for arson or does anyone else who was there that night have a motive too? The list of suspects starts to elongate as the narrative continues. Personally, I've referred patients to be evaluated for hyperbaric oxygen to treat nonhealing wounds or second/third-degree burns but I didn't realize it was being used for autism or infertility. My knowledge of it has always been in a hospital setting, so I was quite surprised that the Yoo's had an HBOT in a regular neighborhood. All kinds of medical error scenarios popped through my mind while I was reading it but the truth was so much worse. Miracle Creek is not your usual debut novel. The descriptions, character development and suspense were done as masterful as a seasoned writer. Angie Kim's novel inserts pieces of humanity at its worse but we also get -or at least I did- the sense of hope. Some of the characters decisions made me nauseous by their omissions and lies. Some infuriated me. One, I disliked tremendously. As a fiction reader, I can't recommend enough Miracle Creek. If you heard the audio which I did for the majority of it, the narrator does an amazing job. At the end of the audio, there is an interview with Angie Kim where she mentions her own experience with immigration, becoming a lawyer and HBOT treatment for one of her children. The music done by her son is perfect for the audio too. Cliffhanger: No 4.5/5 Fangs

Provokes thought...there are enough fully developed characters in this novel to have me feel I could recognize them... More so, I found I could relate to many of the complex emotional situations. I read fast and cared to know what exactly happened.... And I read with continual changing certainty of who the fire-starter must be. I never believed it was the primary target... however I was certain about two other characters being responsible and I kept being proven not quite correct. I really appreciated how I could empathize with mostly each of the characters. Miss Kim's capacity to be inside each character's head a clarity, an intimate revelation of each one's thoughts and emotions. I've been a desperate teen, and can relate to the adolescent Mary and her aloneness and neediness and anger. I'm not a mother but I can relate to having been wiped out from exhaustion and despair, and felt the wish of a loved one being gone. But oh, the way Kim had me experience one mother's remorse was incredible. I've been in relationships with little and big lies. And I loved Kim's character's fury and their justification in lying, or the balance they'd see exchanging lie for lie. I've been hell bent on someone being 'the guilty party' and less interested in more info... But, what was very provocative was the authors study of how, in the end, the little tiny things that we elect to do all compiled with other little tiny things that others do all can create the perfect storm that can lead to ruin and, in this story's case.. very tragic death. I'm giving 5 stars for overall composition, and especially for the underlying lesson of being responsible. Period. In today's blame the other culture, the values of truth that survive this take after all the horror is appreciated. But one less star as the very end's wrap up, the tinge of attempt at happy ending, or chance thereof, I didn't like. It almost felt like an afterthought added in under fear a novel so raw may not make it.

This is the tale of the unintended consequences of a good persons mistakes. An intriguing combination of court-room drama mixed with a “who done it”, to in third person. We actually meet all of the players (somewhat up-close and personal), or so it would seem. These characters include: Young Yoo (wife of Pak and mother of Mary); Matt Thompson (a radiologist, married to Janine) who has sought Hyperbolic treatments to help with his infertility problems; Elizabeth (a stay-at-home mother); Henry (Elizabeth’s child who has been diagnosed with Autisim); Teresa (also a stay-at-home mother); Rosa (Teresa’s teenage daughter who is being treated for cerebral palsy); Kitt (stay-at-home mother with five children); TJ (Kitt’s youngest child who has also been diagnosed with autism); Abe Patterley (Prosecutor); and Shannon Haug (Defense Attorney). The foundation of this story is based on “the truth”….well, perhaps half-truths, or even out-and-out lies. Or, is it based on “secrets”. Everybody has a secret to two that lends itself “negativity” to the outcome of this book. A good mixture of content that is presented in such a compelling way as to keep me totally engaged. I do recommend this book.

Although Miracle Creek by Angie Kim is described as a courtroom thriller, I found the courtroom drama to be lackluster. However, the novel excels in its thoughtful character study. Despite enjoying the scenes at court and finding it an engaging way to reveal the story, it was lacking in suspense, or for that matter, any big reveals. But, the chapters that dove into the characters’ complexities were extraordinary. The author captured the conflicting emotions loving parents face everyday when raising a child, but more particularly a child suffering with illness or disabilities. It felt authentic and real. Their thoughts and emotions resonated with this reader. I also found the subject-matter, hyperbolic pressurized dives to treat autism, infertility and other medical issues, to be fascinating. Don’t read the book if you are expecting a fast-paced courtroom drama. This it is not, but if you are looking for a unique story with engaging characters, then Miracle Creek should be on top of your to-be-read pile.

There were two elements that made this an interesting book, and they were both sidebars. First, there was a very empathetic view of the difficulties of being a mother of an autistic or special needs child. Second, there was a story of first and second generation Korean immigrants to the US. They wrap around the core of a courtroom drama and mystery about a fatal accident in a novel therapy. The mystery, to me, felt a little forced. But the sidebars were interesting and had the feel of lived experience.

L’histoire, d’une minutie horlogère, est très complexe et pas toujours très agréable à lire. Certains passages, notamment les interrogatoires des avocats, sont cependant très bons. La fin, très américaine – la renaissance par la reconnaissance de sa culpabilité –, ne me plaît pas du tout.

Interesante, sobre todo la información sobre el Autismo, pero en general me esperaba mucho mas, un misterio bien escrito y cumplidor, con algunos personajes realmente tonto. Bueno a secas

I found Miracle Creek a superlative example of modern mystery fiction, and that it is the author Angie Kim's first published novel is seriously impressive. The book is a multiple-POV courtroom drama, the subject matter of which is consolidated with flashbacks by each of the central characters to their lives before, during and after the "day in question". Korean immigrants Pak Yoo and his wife Young operate a hyperbaric chamber, named the "Miracle Submarine", in rural Virginia, where they provide hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) to patients suffering from a variety of ailments, including degenerative diseases, infertility, cerebral palsy and autism. One day the unthinkable happens - one of the oxygen lines catches fire, leading to an explosion in the chamber while several patients are inside. Two people - an autistic child and a parent-carer - are killed and several others injured with serious burns and smoke inhalation. Pak and his daughter Mary are among the seriously injured, having come to the aid of those trapped inside the hyperbaric chamber. A year later, the various people present that day come together, for the trial for murder of the dead child's mother, accused of deliberately setting the fire. As the trial (and the book) proceed, the reader's understanding of exactly what happened that day evolves, and we find our sympathies shifting between the different protagonists as the fog slowly clears. Kim sensitively explores many themes - the complexity of parent/child relationships, including where that child is neuro-atypical or suffers from an acquired brain injury; the harm-benefit continuum in treatment, particularly as regards child patients; the immigrant experience in the USA (Kim's own family emigrated from South Korea to the US when she was a pre-teen); marriages placed under pressure by different circumstances; and the many reasons people use to rationalise lying or hiding the truth, both in public and from those they love. She also entertains the tantalising reality that seemingly inconsequential decisions and apparently random interactions with others can sometimes lead to calamitous results. Others have commented that the relatively large number of characters / POVs made the book difficult to follow, however my feeling was that these were deftly handled by the author and that the different characters had sufficiently distinct voices and perspectives that this added real dimension and complexity to the narrative. Kim is a former trial lawyer, and (as a former legal practitioner myself) I can attest that her deep understanding of the justice system and the dynamics of a criminal trial shine through the narrative, which is frequently not the case with courtroom-based content in fiction within this genre. My only real negative reflection on Miracle Creek is that I wish the author hadn't included any reference, even the fleeting one she did, to a connection between exposure to vaccine ingredients (in this case thiomersal) and the development of autism. The theory that any causal link exists has been comprehensively debunked and to perpetuate it, even as part of a fictional work, strikes me as irresponsible. All in all, a thoroughly entertaining and thought-provoking novel. I look forward to reading Ms. Kim's future work.

Wowza! I absolutely LOVED this and think all the buzz surrounding this book is so well deserved and warranted. MIRACLE CREEK by ANGIE KIM is a poignant, moving, gripping, powerful, captivating and absolutely stunning debut novel that captured my attention and heart right from the very first page. I was immediately drawn into this murder mystery and found it so irresistibly unputdownable. ANGIE KIM delivers a fascinating, suspenseful, interesting, engaging and beautifully written courtroom drama story here that was absolutely perfect in every way. The characters and storyline definitely got under my skin and I was intensely impressed with how masterfully done this story was. This was such a powerful and thought-provoking read that I was totally invested and immersed in. I especially loved the emotive courtroom drama scenes which definitely created lots of intrigue and edge of your seat suspense. *Traveling Friends Read* *********************** Norma’s Stats: Cover: Stunning, bold, cosmic, impactful and a fitting representation to storyline. #coverlove Title: Intriguing, relevant, basic, and a fitting representation to storyline. Writing/Prose: Engaging, vivid, emotive, effortless, readable, beautiful, and well-written. Plot: Perfectly-paced, relatable, bold, authentic, suspenseful, riveting, interesting, entertaining, enjoyable, thought-provoking, moving, empathetic, heartfelt and powerful. Ending: A fabulous heartfelt resolution for a fabulous book that left me feeling such love and warmth for this hauntingly beautifully told story. Overall: This book was phenomenal and was quickly added to my Favourite Reads Shelf of 2019! Would highly recommend!

I really enjoyed this novel which is an exciting courtroom drama with twists and turns, but also a honest look at human relationships, particularly between mothers and children. I can't comment on the accuracy of the portrayal of life as an immigrant or life with a disabled child, but I found the description of the contradictions, and struggles, particularly with Elizabeth and Henry to be very thought provoking. Possibly slightly far fetched the way that all the characters have some role to play and are connected by different secrets, but it works in the novel.