Miracle Creek

Books | Fiction / Literary

3.7

(571)

Angie Kim

Winner of the Edgar Award for Best First NovelA Time Best Mystery and Thriller Book of All Time The “gripping... page-turner” (Time) hitting all the best of summer reading lists, Miracle Creek is perfect for book clubs and fans of Liane Moriarty and Celeste NgHow far will you go to protect your family? Will you keep their secrets? Ignore their lies? In a small town in Virginia, a group of people know each other because they’re part of a special treatment center, a hyperbaric chamber that may cure a range of conditions from infertility to autism. But then the chamber explodes, two people die, and it’s clear the explosion wasn’t an accident. A powerful showdown unfolds as the story moves across characters who are all maybe keeping secrets, hiding betrayals. Chapter by chapter, we shift alliances and gather evidence: Was it the careless mother of a patient? Was it the owners, hoping to cash in on a big insurance payment and send their daughter to college? Could it have been a protester, trying to prove the treatment isn’t safe?“A stunning debut about parents, children and the unwavering hope of a better life, even when all hope seems lost" (Washington Post), Miracle Creek uncovers the worst prejudice and best intentions, tense rivalries and the challenges of parenting a child with special needs. It’s “a quick-paced murder mystery that plumbs the power and perils of community” (O Magazine) as it carefully pieces together the tense atmosphere of a courtroom drama and the complexities of life as an immigrant family. Drawing on the author’s own experiences as a Korean-American, former trial lawyer, and mother of a “miracle submarine” patient, this is a novel steeped in suspense and igniting discussion. Recommended by Erin Morgenstern, Jean Kwok, Jennifer Weiner, Scott Turow, Laura Lippman, and more--Miracle Creek is a brave, moving debut from an unforgettable new voice.

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More Details:

Author

Angie Kim

Pages

368

Publisher

Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Published Date

2019-04-16

ISBN

0374717982 9780374717988

Community ReviewsSee all

"So deftly written. A fire takes place at a hyberbaric oxygen chamber where many special needs kids and their parents are under going treatment bc the parents believe it will cure autism. Some children and parents are killed. A mystery surrounds who did it. Everyone had a reason. Not a mystery or a thriller…more an essay on how we look at certain topics. Read Happiness Falls by this author and had to start reading her other works. She does not disappoint."

Danielle Henry

"Wow, I cannot believe this is a debut novel. This book keeps you coming back for more. Multiple viewpoints can really be hit or miss for me, but it was done so well here and actually added a lot to the story. Complex emotions and situations were made very relatable….very well written. My one minor complaint is that a few chapters near the end could have been condensed some. Overall, a good read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️"

Katie Harrison

"You must read this! Beautiful and moving. Suspenseful and educational. And most importantly, eye-opening. A tender debut."

Brian Walborn

"I honestly liked this book, but I’ll explain the 3 stars. First of all, I wish there had been a trigger warning so I could have been prepared for the sexual content. There were definitely some biases I had such as not liking the F-word in books.. it just seems unnecessary to me and makes it harder for me to take the book seriously.. and it was in this book quite a bit. Other than that, it was just a little hard to get in to. It was slightly confusing with so many people being introduced all at once, however I got used to it and learned a little better how to tell them apart. It was still too many characters and points of view to keep track of, for me. With that said, I thought the author did a really good job. The story line was very complex, and the numerous points of view added to the depth of the plot. The points of view were so diverse and it was really cool and interesting to hear all of them. She wrote of details that I could have never thought about had I not read this book. It was eye opening. I felt like there was a moral lesson as well. The book came together in an intense, edge-of-your-seat kind of way, and I was hooked even with the things I didn’t enjoy. You might think you know what is happening, but think again. SPOILER AND TRIGGER WARNING: Sexual assault between a minor and married man"

Claire Foltz Wells

"DNF: ableism I have decided to dnf this book after reading other reviews by own voices reviewers. It appears the issues I am having with the book go unresolved and unchecked. This book is riddled with unchecked ableism and cure rhetoric. The victims of the crime are never characterized or given a voice. The protestors are demonized and apparently never shown in a good light even at the end of the book. Yet another book from an abled allistic author telling our stories without us. Fillicide is a real thing. Our murderers are forgiven and empathized with for “dealing with us” we really don’t need more of it in fiction. I encourage everyone who sees my review to look up www.disability-memorial.org or “disability day of mourning”"

Isa

"Caught my attention right away. Absolutely loved this book. Great story telling and fast paced."

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Bobbie Yount

"Really good book that focuses around parent-child relationships and the grandfather paradox/the butterfly effect"

Lili DeMonica

"3.5 stars, rounding up because I'm still not sure how I feel about this book. Thought provoking to say the least, but also disturbing and extremely sad in parts. As a reader I just wanted to scream at the characters for everyone to stop lying, which is frustrating. The audience is as completely lost as the people in the courtroom..."

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Elizabeth Fordham

"This was an amazingly well written courtroom drama that had me on the edge of my seat and kept me guessing through the entire book. Kim starts out the story in Miracle Creek, Virginia, where Pak Yoo and his wife Young own and operate a HBOT chamber. The Yoo family, with their daughter Mary, immigrated to the US from Korea. One day, there is a fire and fatal explosion at the facility that leaves 2 patients dead and others injured, physically and emotionally. Kim takes readers inside the minds of those who were involved by having each chapter from a different characters point of view. By the end, I felt like I knew them all. The story is told through an unfolding courtroom trial, with different characters point of view on the day of the explosion as the background. At first, it is unclear who is responsible for the fire. Was it Pak, who needed the insurance money? Or Elizabeth, who had finally cracked under the pressure of taking care of her autistic son? Everyone seems to have a motif for starting the fire. Just when you think you have it figured out, Kim throws an unexpected twist in there that makes you start guessing again. All of the little pieces lead to the final outcome and we gradually figure out the truth that I never saw coming. This book could be put into so many genres, but definitely must read if you love Courtroom Dramas or Whodunits."