Miracle Creek by Angie Kim

I had heard lots about this book before really so I was excited to see if it would live up to expectations. It did and it didn’t.

I loved the idea of the book, hope of a better life for a Korean family who were living in America. The introduction of oxygen therapy as a medical treatment was new to me and it was interesting to see how that played out through the book, especially following the explosion at the beginning.

I liked seeing the characters develop and the court scenes were written well, but I found it slow paced. I liked it but wanted the pace of the book to be faster, to make me not want to put the book down.

The book offered insights into the thoughts and feelings of not only the Yoo family, immigrants from Korea, but also the parents of those children with additional support needs. I felt these were written about very thoughtfully and tenderly and the author drew all these together to create a satisfying conclusion. Not an easy to read conclusion, but one that finished the book well. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Disclaimer: Thank you to Farrer, Straus and Giroux and Netgalley for the complimentary digital copy in exchange for an honest review of this book.

Miracle Creek is an assured and sharp courtroom drama from debut novelist Angie Kim. When Korean immigrants Pak and Young Yoo open a hyperbaric chamber wellness center in Miracle Creek, Virginia called “Miracle Submarine,” it offers them and their daughter, Mary, the promise of financial success and a new life in America, while giving hope to the families of their clients, mostly autistic and special needs children thought to benefit from the pressurized, pure oxygen therapy. But when a sudden, suspicious fire shatters the Yoos’ dreams and claims two lives, the investigation and trial which follow reveal a tangled web of motives and secrets in the private lives of the Yoos and their patients, all of whom seem to have something to hide. Don’t expect a police procedural—Miracle Creek is a courtroom drama in which the detective work is presented by lawyers and witnesses during the chapters covering the four days of the trial. Interspersed with these chapters are those of multiple narrators—the Yoos and their clients—which, while providing plenty of red herrings and moments of suspense, are more notable for Kim’s sensitive portrayals of the alienation of immigrants and the difficulties of parenting special needs children. I thought the book sagged a little in the middle, but Kim does a good job of tying all the threads she’s dangled throughout the novel together in the end for a satisfying, albeit sad, ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

An edge of your seat courtroom drama that has you guessing and second guessing who was responsible for setting the fire that killed 2 people inside the Miracle Submarine (a pressurized oxygen chamber that patients enter for therapeutic sessions that may or may not cure autism, infertility, etc.).
I was hooked! I am usually pretty good at figuring out a mystery but this one had me stumped until 3/4 of the way in. The story is told from the various players' perspectives and it is from their different narratives that you find out all the secrets, all the pieces of the puzzle that led to the unfortunate event.

This is the 100th book I have read and reviewed through NetGalley's advance reader system -- and it may be my favorite. Here's why:

Each character was full-bodied, both heroic and potentially villainous. Each of the dozen or so prominent cast members had my full-flooded sympathy at one point or another, as well as my skepticism and distrust. Yes, it's technically a courtroom drama, and it's definitely a suspense story -- but the book's other components were so rich that it carried me beyond that narrow framework.

At the center is a Korean immigrant family, a couple and their daughter who turns 17 and then 18 while the story unspools. The story is arguably about children with disabilities and the toll this takes on their families. And yet -- the cross cultural and the medical and the psychological elements were so skillfully layered that they seemed an intrinsic part of the suspense.

The details also felt fully authentic, judging by my contact with Korean immigrants and people on the autism spectrum among my close kin. Many other reviewers called this a "tearjerker," and -- while my usual reading skews toward the hard-boiled and the stoic -- I appreciated the deep sadness I felt watching these tough, strong people deal with the random catastrophes Life brought them.

This book has so many layers and they are all woven together to form a beautiful tapestry. I journied through so many emotions while absorbing this story. There is courtroom drama, family dynamics, and mystery in the plot. The characters are well defined and likeable. This book is a true gift to the reader. Many thanks to Farrah, Straus, and Giroux and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I'm so happy I heard people talk about how amazing this book was, because it wasn't on my radar at all. It's hard to quantify---it's mostly courtroom drama, but there's a bit of domestic suspense and obviously a ton of literary fiction. I mention that because if you think "Oh, this doesn't sound like my thing," try it anyway. It's probably just about everyone's thing. It's also impossible to talk about because literally every plot point is two steps from a spoiler.

I loved this book immediately but it was also really hard to not try and figure out who was responsible for the explosion. It felt like that scene in Scream where Randy yells "EVERYBODY'S A SUSPECT!" 

I'm going to be recommending this to every actively literate person I know. Highly recommended.

Page turning, emotionally complex, and haunting story. Ms. Kim has managed to create sympathy and understanding for all of her characters, even as they make terrible mistakes and cause each other great harm. It casts a wide net yet never looses focus. I recommend it highly.

Troubling and complex… adjectives that, in my opinion, best describe Miracle Creek. This is the story of a family of Korean immigrants who operate an alternative health clinic. It offers hyperbaric oxygenation, or HBOT, as a treatment that may help with a number of health problems particularly autism. One day, as a group protests the use of this treatment outside the facility, it explodes with tragic results. The story itself expands outward from this core mystery and the subsequent trial, a year later, which explore how the tragedy occurred and who is responsible.

Told in third person narrative by a myriad of characters, the story slowly unfolds - peeling away layers of perspective and truth. It requires careful attention by the reader as the plot is told and re-told from these various perspectives. There is repetition between these re-tellings but also important variations and nuances as the puzzle pieces come together.

Even though Miracle Creek has been described as a mystery and a thriller, I did not find it to be your typical page-turner. The explosion and criminal investigation were almost secondary to a number of other current, important themes intertwined with a wide cast of characters – all flawed in their own way. Besides the drama of interpersonal dynamics, I found the moral and emotional dilemmas faced by parents and caregivers of children on the autism spectrum to be the most compelling and thought-provoking aspects of this debut novel. The author, Angie Kim, moved as a teen from Korea, is a former trial lawyer, and the mother of three sons – all of which add authenticity to her superb storytelling.



FYI - I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had the privilege of given a.free copy of this book for an honest review from Netgalley
I wasn't sure about reading this book as I just didn't know what to expect.
In the story Pak opens a treatment center called HBOT (Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy), This is a kind of treatment that is supposed to effectively treat autism and infertility. There is a fire at the treatment center and a couple of people die. This is the crux of the story. Who.was responsible for the fire? As the investigation and trial.goes on, further lies and secrets are revealed in different characters in the story. It appears as it could be anyone. A great story , great character development. You won't be able to put this down.
I give this an easy 5 stars.!

I didn't really know anything about this book before reading it but thought the description sounded interesting. So glad I picked it up because this book was fascinating.

Pak and Young own Miracle Submarine, which administers HBOT (Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy), which some local people use as treatment for things like autism, or infertility. When there is an explosion and people die, charges are laid against one of the mother's of the children undergoing treatment and the book follows the trial.

Each chapter was told in point of view of one of the important characters and we cycled through various people's perspective on the same event. I found almost all the characters at least partly relateable and the author was great at portraying even characters who made bad decisions.

I can’t explain how much I love this book. I grew up in southeastern Virginia and Miracle Creek feels so familiar. Although I didn’t grow up in an immigrant family, I’ve been close friends with many and found the struggles of understanding an American raised teen versus the experiences of their immigrant parents perfectly portrayed. Seeing the different lines of this story twist and turn was a great ride to be on and I also enjoyed the writing and voice Angie Kim gave the story. Bravo!

Big Little Lies meets the courtroom thriller mystery in Angie Kim’s debut novel Miracle Creek. DO NOT pass this one up. Easily earns 5 stars.

Miracle Creek, a town in rural Virginia. Young and Pak Yoo, immigrants from Korea who live in Miracle Creek and run a privately owned medical device, a chamber for hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) treating off label/experimental conditions that hospitals won’t. An explosion. 2 deaths. A murder investigation. A courtroom drama. The case against the alleged culprit unfolds and is not as cut and dry as it appears.

The lives of 5 families intertwine in this story about love, family, immigration, the human nature of parenting disabled children, and the lengths people will go for their families.

I’ve been struggling to review this book because I’ve not been sure what to say. There’s not much to put in a review about a book that is beyond exceptional and extremely well written. Except, well, just exactly that…… Miracle Creek is beyond exceptional and extremely well written. Mind Blown!!! One of my first thoughts when finishing was how well thought out and detailed this novel is. The insight into the emotions of each character, the human nature of what it feels like to parent a disabled child, the pain and struggles of amputation/disfigurement, the despondency of immigration, the despair of being alone, the description of such human characteristics is off the charts. The character development in itself is remarkable, which is extremely important in this book considering each person’s life struggles plays a major role in how the story plays out. I need to make sure to mention the brilliantly written courtroom scenes, because they are like the icing on the cake to a book that already was pretty darn sweet.

When you read a novel of this magnitude, the ending becomes challenging. You wonder to yourself well before you get there if it is going to be fulfilling, how is the author going to pull this all together, am I going to walk away from this feeling satisfied, will all my needs be met? I don’t know how Angie Kim was able to execute such an achievement, but she was able to masterfully create an ending that gave the reader everything they wanted. It closed every door. Now, whether or not you agreed with how it ended, is another story. I personally had to think long and hard about it, it stuck with me, I questioned myself, I asked myself what would I do? And then I agreed with Ms. Kim. It’s amazing to think about the unintended consequences of the decisions we make.

I highly recommend this book. It deserves more than 5 stars. When I read a debut like this, I always wonder to myself what the author is going to do next. How do you outdo something so brilliant? If Ms. Kim continues to write the way she did with Miracle Creek, she should have no problem at all.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for an ARC of this novel for my unbiased and honest review.

Miracle Creek by Angie Kim is a very highly recommended twisty legal thriller and a notable debut novel.

Young and Pak Yoo and their teenage daughter Mary are an immigrant family from Korea who run a private experimental medical treatment facility in rural Miracle Creek, Virginia. Their "Miracle Submarine" is a pressurized oxygen chamber for hyperbaric oxygen therapy or HBOT, which involves breathing pure, pressurized oxygen. Patients enter the chamber for "dives" that are believed to treat a wide range of issues and medical conditions. Their chamber is located in a barn behind their home. A fire, clearly arson, occurs, which causes the submarine to catch fire and explode, killing two people and injuring four others.

What or who caused the explosion is the focus of this legal thriller. A single mother of one of the patients who died is being charged with murder in the opening scenes. Her actions seem clearly suspect, but this is a complicated story with many suspects. As the trial starts the list of suspects, the secrets and the lies being told seem to multiply. As Kim develops the backstory of all her characters, new information and complications emerge, and the list of suspects grows ever longer as the plot becomes increasingly complicated.

Miracle Creek is an irresistible page turner, merging a dramatic murder trial with in-depth character studies and compelling courtroom scenes. All of the characters have secrets and information they are hiding from that night, but the complications are even more intricate than just a simple omission of a single fact. The suspects will change as you are reading and more facts and secrets come forth. You will feel some empathy or sympathy for all of the characters at least once. All of the lies and omissions will make sense if you have ever encountered a person who always makes themselves look good during all events and can never admit flaws. Even the way the lawyers can twist facts to benefit their clients is telling.

The writing is absolutely excellent and the plot is the perfect synthesis of character development, a complicated mystery, and a legal thriller. I was entrenched in the complicated, detailed plot and really had no clear idea who was guilty or if it would be a perfect storm of lies and mistakes that led to the explosion. The final denouement is very satisfying and ties up all loose ends. This is a brilliant debut novel.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2019/04/miracle-creek.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2789791224
https://www.librarything.com/work/22204565/book/167899967
https://twitter.com/SheTreadsSoftly/status/1118591664052944896

Alternative medicine. A deadly accident. Immigrants. Courtroom drama. This is everything wrapped into one perfect book.

Miracle Creek (previously Miracle Submarine) is told from various points of view and each point cuts directly into the gut of the reader. There are passages that are difficult to read because of the level of pain. There are passage that are difficult to read because they are gruesome. And then there are passages that are hard to read because they are just beautiful.

This debut novel from Angie Kim is one that is sure to on the top of many bestseller lists and it will be well deserved.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Best book of 2019. Run, don't walk to get a copy. A heartbreaking story about mothers surrounded by a beautiful immigrant story wrapped in an intelligent and twisty courtroom drama. I couldn't put it down.

WOW, what a book. I started reading my NetGalley copy, then realized I wanted it to be my BOTM selection so I could have it in physical format.

This literary courtroom drama surprised me with how fleshed out its characters were. It kept me guessing, but it also had me thinking about immigration, autism, parenthood, honesty. Hoo-boy, what a web we weave when we set out to deceive.

Fast-paced, heart-wrenching, book hangover. There's no comic relief within, so be ready for heavy. Her writing is tight and beautiful, and I look forward to more from Angie Kim in the future.

Rated R for language, sexual situations, death.

Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for an ARC of Miracle Creek in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars!

I was surprised to find out that this was the debut novel of Angie Kim! It was so wonderfully written and compelling (I finished it in 24 hours)!

A Korean family immigrates to America and opens an alternative health facility, Miracle Submarine, where patients (mostly young children) are exposed to pressurized oxygen to help them with their health issues. One day, a mysterious explosion kills two people. Was it set by the protestors who regularly protest this alternative 'medicine'? Was it Elizabeth, the mother of an autistic boy who was getting treatment at Miracle Submarine?

The pacing in this book is great: the story hits the ground running with the explosion, and then twists and turns are revealed in the courtroom setting and in recollections from the main characters.

I found myself constantly second guessing 'whodunnit' (even though I would say this book is more than your typical 'whodunnit' thriller) and the surprises and revelations along the way never felt cheap.

I look forward to reading what Angie Kim writes next!

Thank you @fsgbooks for providing me a digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

MIRACLE CREEK surprised me so much. I’m not sure what I expected honestly but I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. This book touched on so many different aspect of life. I hope I do this review justice.

First, I would like to point out that as a mother MIRACLE CREEK pulled at my heart strings. I understand how it feels to want your child to make right choices and wanting them to do the right thing in the face of all the wrong things in this world. We see our children as perfect so when a child is diagnosed with any type of disorder the parent has to understand how to better handle the situation all while trying to keep from losing their own sense of identity.

With that being said I think its safe to get into the actual review. We are introduced to the Yoo family. They are Korean immigrants who have come to America and end up running their own business in hopes of improving the condition of autistic children. Their business was pretty much booming up until one troubling day when their equipment catches fire and multiple casualties are identified. This is when the story gets good We have multiple POVs throughout each chapter that goes back in time to before the fire and then fast forwards to the present day when the criminal trial takes place. The reader sees the wheels turning in each character’s head and is forced to figure out who set the fire and how lives will be changed as an outcome.

This book touches on the struggles involving an immigrant family, the struggles of caregivers/mothers raising special needs children and what a parent goes through to do the best for the kids.

MIRACLE CREEK went on sale today! Happy Pub Day -I wholeheartedly give this book 5 stars!

Pak and Young Yoo, along with their daughter, have moved to the United States from Korea. Ultimately settling in a small town by the name of Miracle Creek, Virginia, they decide to open a new business - the “Miracle Submarine.” An experimental treatment for various medical conditions, the “Miracle Submarine” is a hyperbaric oxygenation chamber that draws in many locals, particularly parents of children with special needs. Things seem to be going well until one day there is a horrific explosion, killing two people inside. A recounting of the subsequent courtroom trial unfolds, and what seems to be a straightforward case may not be as it first appears.

In her debut novel, Angie Kim unravels a gut-wrenching mystery. This book was not what I was expecting going in, and I mean that in the best way. I was gripped with emotion throughout at the powerful love, the grief and loss that is so skillfully portrayed. Kim examines the difficulties of parenting children with unique and intensive needs alongside the difficulties faced by an immigrant family in their new home. The way that she subtly deposits bits of information throughout leaves the reader navigating a maze of surprises until the very end. This feat is executed in part by alternating perspectives of the narrator from one character to another, which allows the reader to slowly piece together the truth of what happened the evening of the explosion.

This novel was so acutely emotional that it was painful to read in parts; however, the journey is worth the heartache. Kim skillfully examines how small decisions can lead to catastrophic consequences, how the concept of what is “right” or “best” is not always so clearly defined.

I really enjoyed this novel and definitely recommend it! Sincere thanks to NetGalley and FSG Books for the advance copy to read in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

This book started out a little slow, but it is worth the read. It is a really interesting story, and it all comes together at the end!

I really liked reading this book, and can't wait until Kim comes out with her next one!