I love how you never know what you're going to get from a debut novel, and I love it even more it when a debut comes along that's as powerful and intelligently written as this one. I have no doubt it's going to be a huge success.

It's hard to categorise this book, but at its heart I think it's a character-focused drama. It combines segments of the past with an on-going courtroom drama around a fire at a controversial HBOT treatment centre. Could the fire have been started by protesters against people putting their disabled children through undue stress? By the owner, a Korean immigrant who's sacrificed everything for his family but is still struggling and could come into a huge insurance payout? Or the frazzled mother, at the end of her tether with endless treatments and caring for her child? Or someone else?

This novel was an eye-opener on illnesses and treatments. It focuses around HBOT - something I hadn't heard of before - a treatment involving high pressures of oxygen which can be used for a host of illnesses, but for the purpose of the story it's mainly children with autism and also infertility undergoing treatment.

Through alternating perspectives, Kim effortlessly delves into the cast's lives and inner most thoughts with brutal honestly, so that I felt empathy for them all, and yet everyone has their own motives; I suspected multiple characters and had no idea who was the culprit until the last few chapters. It says in the Goodreads blurb that the author has drawn on her own experiences as a lawyer, a Korean-American and a mother of a HBOT patiet to write this story, and it shows because every element feels authentic.

The story touches on issues ranging from immigration to autism to infertility, sexual pressure and more. But these they're all seamlessly blended in with a compelling drama and never once feel forced upon the reader, and the alternating perspective from our cast of characters allows the reader to walk in their shoes. I don't know if it'll make it into my all-time favourites, but I have nothing but admiration for this beautifully layered story.

'Like those frogs that get used to hot water, they stay in the boiling pot. She'd gotten used to tragedy, become numb to it.'
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The Miracle Submarine is a pressurised chamber, where the patients sit and inhale 100% oxygen through breathing masks. Young and Pak run the facility that claims to cure infertility and autism among other things. When a fire starts and a young boy and a mother end up dead, who is to blame?
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Believe the hype, this one is fantastic. I can't begin to explain how amazing and well thought out this debut from Angie Kim was. She slowly reveals all by utilising courtroom scenes and personal stories from each of the characters. You can tell Kim is a mother and the way she portrayed parent and child relationships warmed my heart and broke it at the same time. I can't shout about this one enough, read it as soon as you can 😁

A book with definite potential but just falters slightly on execution.

It starts with a great opening quote: "My husband asked me to lie. Not a big lie. He probably didn't even consider it a lie, and neither did I, at first . . ." Young and Pak Yoo run an experimental medical treatment device called the Miracle Submarine. It's a pressurised oxygen chamber which is used as alternative therapy for conditions including autism or infertility. But when the Miracle Submarine mysteriously explodes, killing two people, a dramatic murder trial upends the Yoos' small community.

I love courtroom dramas, and I really wanted to like this one, but it just missed the mark. The way in which information is revealed is, at times, confusing, and the technical terminology used throughout makes it difficult to read. I really wanted it to flow a lot better, but I found it quite jagged. Perhaps if certain elements of the timeline had been brought together instead of diving between different scenarios, it would have been a more enjoyable read. In some parts, it really felt like a test.

Having said all that, I loved the premise and it really did have potential.

I was torn when reading this.....I found it convoluted as a storyline and unbelievable in terms of the number of lies/ half truths that were being put forward, but I also wanted to find out the conclusion and wether the accused had actually done it. I am a completer/finisher and so I carried on to the end, but didn’t really enjoy the reading of it, if that makes sense. It was described as a courtroom drama but this felt misleading and it wasn’t really my cup of tea.

Miracle Creek kept me guessing throughout. I really had no idea who had committed the crime. The lives, situation of and alienation felt by Young and Mary was very well portrayed in this novel and I felt nothing but sympathy towards all they endured upon first moving to Baltimore. There were so many twists and turns in this tale that at times it was hard to keep up. It was difficult to keep track of who was lying and who was actually telling the truth. I enjoyed the book though, the story was well planned out even though I did find it a little hard to follow at times. The author certainly spent time researching autism and children with special needs. She showed in-depth understanding. I will certainly read more from Angie Kim in the future.

Angie Kim’s Miracle Creek is a compellingly believable courtroom drama dealing with the complicated issues of immigration and special needs parenting. The Yoos (Young, Pak, and Mary) came to the United States looking for a better way of life, having opened a controversial alternative medicine facility to treat everything from sterility to cerebral palsy. When a fire in their HBOT (hyperbaric oxygen therapy) chamber claims the lives of a special needs boy, Henry, and Kitt, another patient’s mother, the entire community of Miracle Creek is upended.

Mary is left scarred, having spent time in a coma. Pak is paralyzed. The family is financially and emotionally devastated, and the dead boy, Henry’s, mother stands charged with his murder. But did she do it?

There are protesters, patients, parents, and the HBOT center owner, Pak to consider, and as many motives as suspects. Had Pak wanted the insurance money? Or maybe his wife did, tired of working so hard to make ends meet? Or was this a rebellious act of his teenage daughter who needs to feel like she belongs? Was it the wife of one of the patients who found out about an inappropriate relationship? Did the protestors cause the fire in an act meant to scare the parents of special needs children away from “experimental therapies?” Did Elizabeth really want Henry dead? Hadn’t she been abusing him? Hurting him to stop his autistic behaviors? Or was she simply wrought with guilt over the emotional strain that drove her, regularly, past her breaking point? And was she really a “good” mother, so devoted to her son that he had been declared off the autism spectrum due to her tireless efforts?

Each new chapter poses another theory, which is great for the first third or so of the book, but I admit that by the time it ended I almost didn’t care who was responsible. There is a lot to love about this book, which is mostly compelling and well-written, but there are a few things that got to me over time.

Elizabeth’s self-deprecation felt genuine at first, but left me scratching my head by the conclusion. There is absolutely no sense of self-preservation at any point during her trial, which would have been a nice counter-balance. Maybe she caught someone’s eye and there could be a potential love interest or change of life for her? She’s rendered as more or less one note. I pretty much discounted her as the arsonist from the outset. I did, however, think that her role and feelings as the sole caregiver to a special needs child are perhaps the star of this book. That, and maybe the Yoos story of immigration, although I admit to never liking Mary whose arc felt “off.” The fact that her situation with a trusted family friend was all but swept under the carpet, didn’t sit right with me.

Overall, this is a unique story dealing with a lot of complex issues told painstakingly slowly and in a literary style that didn’t hold up for me after the incredible first third. I guess I became numb to Elizabeth’s banter, came to dislike the Yoos, and it’s hard to feel like justice is served when, at the end of the book, you decide there isn’t a single likable character, except maybe the lawyer. How’s that for irony?

*Thank you to Netgalley and the author for an advance reader copy (ARC).

It has taken me two weeks to read Miracle Creek. So much hype, so many five star reviews. My interest level was piqued and yet I was mildly disappointed. As a debut novel Miracle Creek is very well written but I found it rather depressing. A Korean family - Pak, Young and daughter Mary - immigrants to Virginia, USA. Pak is a certified Hyperbaric Technician, starts a business with such a chamber used to help autistic patients and those with other diseases. It is a recognised therapy. An unusual plot line that results in catastrophic consequences:

"MY HUSBAND ASKED ME TO LIE. Not a big lie. He probably didn't even consider it a lie..."

An explosion, two patients dead and a family torn apart by conspiracy and deception. A lengthy courtroom drama ensues and this is the meat of the story. A gladiatorial contest between prosecution and defence. The mother of one of the dead on trial for murder. And that lie that ensnares so many, so much soul searching amongst mothers with children undergoing similar treatment.

It is not a happy read but it does have redemptive qualities. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I had read Miracle Creek quicker. Still worthy of four stars though.

My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for my ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Angie Kim's first book had me hooked from the beginning. It is about a couple who have a Oxygen tank to cure certain ailments. One being Autism. The events that follow are tragic. The courtroom part of this store was so interesting and I can understand how it would be hard to be on a jury. There are different sides to every story and with the lawyer's trying to sell their side it is hard to tell who is actually telling the truth. In this store you don't find out until the end.

This book was very well written the authour wrote it as if you were there in the courtroom. I highly recommend this book and look forward to Angie Kim's next book.

I decided to read this after noticing what seemed like a tsunami of stellar early reviews on Goodreads. My initial instincts told me that I wasn't interested in this story, and perhaps I should have listened to them. Most of my Goodreads friends love murder mysteries, police procedurals and courtroom dramas, but those are not my genres of interest.

This is a story of a Korean family consisting of a husband, wife and high school age daughter who are recent immigrants to the United States. They are very hard-working people, still trying to improve their quality of life in the United States while building a business. They created a service called "Miracle Submarine" where patients came to their barn in Miracle Creek for hydrogen bariatric oxygen therapy (HBOT). The focus is on several patients: two children with autism, one suffering brain damage after contracting a virus, and a gentleman with infertility issues. The book begins one fateful morning which is recounted a year later, the reader aware that a horrible incident occurred, and you're taken through each critical moment that added up to a tragedy. This was actually my favorite part of the book; the riveting second by second telling of how the HBOT tank caught fire. The implication hangs in the air from the beginning that the entire truth hasn't been told to law enforcement from the various remaining living parties involved in the incident. A court trial is in process where a parent of one of the HBOT patients is being charged for the crime, and at first it seems like an open and shut case. However, as the book progresses with dueling chapters from the other people involved in the machinations of that day, it becomes more confusing as to who is really at fault.

The sacrifice, hard work, and extreme patience required to be a caregiver- to be a parent of a disabled child- was explored to great effect. I thought that was an important message in the book- that of course you love your child, but you are also a human being and you get tired and get affected by seeing other parents who live more normal lives than you do. I enjoyed reading about these imperfect lives and relationships from all angles more than the courtroom drama and intrigue.

Reading the postscript to this book I learned that this debut author was also a Korean immigrant and lived close to the location used in the book. This was well-written and I would take heed of the rave reviews garnered by this book. I must be an outlier, because it was just an OK read for me and not my preferred genre.

I had high hopes for this book and they were exceeded time and again. I love reading thriller and mysteries but have mixed feelings about courtroom dramas and have found them to be a hit or a miss. Miracle Creek brilliantly combines all three of these. The characters in this book are quite dark at times but not because they are monsters but simply utterly real, flawed human beings. One of the main threads of this story is what can happen to immigrants seeking a new life in America. This book completely tore me apart. I cried a lot reading it but as much as it hurt I couldn’t bear to stop reading because I’d fallen so deeply in love with the world and characters. This is the sort of book where you don’t really know the truth and have about fifteen different theories before discovering they’re all wrong.

I have to admit I was a bit undecided whether I wanted to read a book about a miracle submarine and I’m sure others may feel the same, but seriously this was an amazing book that had me hooked and biting my nails!!

There is a fire in the “Miracle Submarine” which is used to help conditions such as Autism and Fertility problems with pure oxygen. There are a group of people who regularly go into the submarine, desperate as they have tried all the obvious remedies and are clinging on to the hope that this will work. The fire takes the live’s of 2 of them and leaves several injured.

Elizabeth the mother of Henry who died in the submarine, is on trial for starting the fire - I’m no Agatha Christie but even I felt like this was not an open and closed case!!

The court case is a small part of this book, I enjoyed getting to know the characters who all reveal their own secrets.

There was a chain reaction, everybody’s actions on that fateful day caused this fatal incident. Who knows if one person had done something different could this have been prevented?

This book really draws you in and explains what it may be like to have a disabled child and at how difficult life can be. These parents may have had dark thoughts about their children but at the end of the day they would have tried anything to improve their children’s life’s.

Told from several peoples points of view before and after the fire. The court case was riveting keeping me on the edge of my seat throughout. I had to rush the ending as I was so desperate to see what was going to happen in the end!!!

A must read book that will stay with you long after reading it.

Wow just read that this is Angie Kim’s debut book. I am looking forward to her next book as I have to say this is the most gripping, heart wrenching, book I’ve read this year!!

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

Oh my goodness what a fantastic read and would like to thank Netgalley and the Publisher for letting me review this book.

I found that Miracle Creek did not live up to its hype and was fairly ponderous with a large cast that did not assist in the enjoyment of the story.

Not one I would recommend

I took a while to get into this, with its odd mix of courtroom drama and
I was also slightly put off by all the information up front about the HBOT system (the fatal explosion of which drives the plot), which managed to be information overload but I still don’t totally understand it. That said, once I got into it I did enjoy reading Kim’s novel and found it really interesting, particularly Mary’s relationship with Korea as a teenage emigrant moving to the US. There were a couple of narrative quirks that I found a bit distracting and confusing though, like the high number of perspectives we were given, which were all in third person, and the instance of (((TRIPLE))) parenthesis. Despite finding out who committed the crime at hand, I was left thinking how difficult it is to say who is truly guilty and who isn’t, and to decide just what constitutes guilt.

Miracle Creek is a novel based around a court case- at first I thought this might be hard to follow in a novel, but it was entirely the opposite. From the onset, it had me gripped and I ended up really enjoying the courtroom drama.

Kim tells the story through the different perspectives of the victims and the defendant, by doing this Kim slowly reveals what happened on the day of the crime. It also allowed the characters to come to life, each with their own positive qualities and flaws.

Although the courtroom drama was gripping and I was desperate to know ‘who dunnit’, my favourite part of the novel was the exploration of motherhood and a mother’s relationship with their children. Kim portrayed, with honesty, the difficulties and guilt that comes with being a mother in such a beautiful way.

This story just throws you straight into the book: “My husband asked me to lie, not a big lie, he probably didn’t even consider it a lie, and neither did I at first”

Set in the town of Miracle Creek and centred around a immigrant family, Miracle Creek covers topics of Family, Marriage, Autism, Infertility and Parenthood.
The book navigates between past tense in the lead up to the event, and present tense in the court room, and the story is told via the courtroom.
There is lots of medical jargon in this book, but the context of the trial allows the medical jargon to be dumbed down, and easily understood.
The intelligent writing shows that misunderstanding’s and assumptions from fragments of information, show that the case is not as cut and dry as it appears.
The characters are easy to connect too, and the story is gripping, and clever.

Thank you to Netgalley for this in exchange for a honest review.
4 ⭐️

This book is unique, perceptive, and will draw you into the twists and turns of the story of Miracle Submarine. An searingly accurate portrayal of the complex and often dangerous relationships between not only members of the same family, but those that fall into orbit around them. I have to admit that the plot blindsided me and had me guessing about the 'bad guy' up until the last few pages, and it ended up being one of those books that you're trying to read over your cornflakes as you attempt to reach the end faster.

The story follows the Yoo family, a Korean mother father and daughter who recently immigrated to small town USA from Seoul. The dynamic between all the members of te family is so well written, showing those little nuances between people that often gets skimmed over. Their business, 'Miracle Submarine', is an alternative treatment for myriad illnesses, and attracts a number of varied characters to their therapy barn. When a terrible accident happens, it falls upon a court case to determine who perpetrated the crime, and what their motives were. As you can imagine, the intricate reasons and actions that lead to the accident unfold throughout, and will skew your judgement of the characters many times. The way she shows a variety of different 'crimes' from both sides of the coin can really make you think more carefully about how you view the characters she's created.

I found the portrayal of life as the carer of a disabled child really intruiging, and thought it was apt that at times it could make for difficult reading. It does make me wonder if Kim talked to any carers in the research of this book and if that helped in the creation of this dark, and at times problematic, feeling towards ones own child. Kim writes the breadth of human emotion so eloquently and incisively, and as a result this book really does yank unapologetically at your heartstrings. I cannot wait to read whatever she writes next.

This was an unusual book told from many different viewpoints which I enjoy. It centres around an explosion in a treatment tank which led to fatalities, details of which are quite disturbing. Very moving story.

While the subject matter of a young single mother accused of killing her autistic son is pretty challenging to read, the novel certainly is engaging throughout. With a multitude of characters, it may be a slow burn for some but given the topic, Kim truly treats it with the credit and respect it deserves.

Angie Kim is a compelling new voice in contemporary fiction. This is one of the most unusual books I’ve read in that it covers numerous themes from the perspective of a Korean immigrant to the US.

The story starts off with a hyperbaric submarine set up in Miracle Creek by a Korean Dr and his wife . They offer therapeutic treatment. It all goes horribly wrong and the sub explodes. What follows is, in essence, a courtroom drama which explores events and culpability. It’s really well written and I found it difficult to put down. The characters are different, particularly the Koreans and I found their insight into how their life changed in the USA very plausible. Those involved are equally believable. There’s no deranged killer on the loose, it’s a tale of human frailty and the consequences.

Very different, well paced and I’d love to read more by this outstanding new author. My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.