Title: MIRACLE CREEK
Expected publication: out now
My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
all the stars!
Book Description:
A literary courtroom thrilled about an immigrant family and
a young single mother accused of killing her autistic son, Miracle Creek is
a powerhouse debut about how far we'll go to protect our families, and our
deepest secrets.
In rural Miracle Creek, Virginia, Young and Pak Yoo run an experimental medical treatment device known as the Miracle Submarine. A pressurized oxygen chamber that patients enter for therapeutic “dives,” it's also a repository of hopes and dreams: the dream of a mom that her child can be like other kids; the dream of a young doctor desperate to cure his infertility and save his marriage; the dream of the Yoos themselves, Korean immigrants who have come to the United States so their teenage daughter can have a better life.
When the oxygen chamber mysteriously explodes, killing two people, all these dreams shatter with it, and the ensuing murder trial uncovers imaginable secrets and lies. In Miracle Creek, Angie Kim takes a classic form—courtroom drama—and draws on her own experience as an immigrant, a lawyer, and the mother of a real-life "submarine" patient to turn it into something wholly original, unputdownable . . . real. This is a spellbinding novel by an exciting new voice.
In rural Miracle Creek, Virginia, Young and Pak Yoo run an experimental medical treatment device known as the Miracle Submarine. A pressurized oxygen chamber that patients enter for therapeutic “dives,” it's also a repository of hopes and dreams: the dream of a mom that her child can be like other kids; the dream of a young doctor desperate to cure his infertility and save his marriage; the dream of the Yoos themselves, Korean immigrants who have come to the United States so their teenage daughter can have a better life.
When the oxygen chamber mysteriously explodes, killing two people, all these dreams shatter with it, and the ensuing murder trial uncovers imaginable secrets and lies. In Miracle Creek, Angie Kim takes a classic form—courtroom drama—and draws on her own experience as an immigrant, a lawyer, and the mother of a real-life "submarine" patient to turn it into something wholly original, unputdownable . . . real. This is a spellbinding novel by an exciting new voice.
My musings:
Where do I even start to review this book? How could I ever
do it justice? Every now and then a book comes along that is a perfect fit,
that touches your very soul and worms its way into your heart to stay there,
whispering its secrets long after you have turned the last page. MIRACLE CREEK
was that type of book for me. Not since BEARTOWN have I shed so many tears as I
did here! If you have heard about this book (and frankly, who hasn’t), then be
assured that the hype is real. There is something in this book for just about
every reader. Mystery, suspense, a lively courtroom drama, immigration,
parenting, lies .... all woven into a brilliant web that will keep you up at
night.
Angie Kim has hit the ground running – with a debut novel
that has already wormed its way into the hearts of millions, she has firmly
established her place on many favourites lists. This is an author who doesn’t
do things by halves. If you’re a parent, MIRACLE CREEK will hit you like a
freight train right where it hurts most, because when it comes down to it,
parents and children form the centre of this brilliant novel. We all want the
best for our children, right? Only who decides what is best? How will our
choices affect our and their lives? And what if your child is sick, and in
pain, and you’re just trying to stay afloat here and do the best you can?
Told in the forms of a court case, the story starts with the
horrific death of two people – a child and a woman – in a hyperbaric oxygen
chamber used as a controversial treatment for children and adults with
disabilities or conditions resistant to standard medical interventions. A
woman, Elizabeth, stands accused of having lit the fire that was the cause of
the deaths. But it soon becomes apparent that all is not as straight forward as
first thought, as each witness relives the time leading up to the explosion.
It is a rare skill to offer multiple POVs and make each one
as compelling as the next. My heart bled for these people as their deepest
secrets were being exposed. The butterfly effect of little and big lies. A tiny
decision altering the fates of many. I have let this book digest for a few days
after finishing it and before putting my thoughts to paper, but still little
things keep popping up in my head. The what if’s. The why’s. The
what-would-you-do’s. I could write pages and pages about all the things that
deeply affected me, but this review would be way too long and contain too many
spoilers, so I will just say two words: read it! READ IT TODAY! IMMEDIATELY!
I listened to the audio version of this book, which also
contained an interesting interview with the author. It was not surprising to
hear that Kim used to be lawyer, which may account for the realism of her
courtroom scenes. Like Pak and Young, she is from a Korean background. Like
Theresa and Elizabeth, she has tried HBOT for one of her children. With so much
personal experience packaged into a fictional story, it practically fizzled
with emotion. It all rolled out so vividly in my head that I feel I have been
there, listened in, met these people in real life.
Summary:
Told with heart and insight, this is a powerful, thought
provoking and touching novel that will stay in your heart and your mind for a
long time to come. It is definitely one of the best books I have read all year,
and one I will re-read in years to come and take even more things away with me.
I can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next!
Thank you to the Traveling Friends Reads Group for the
fabulous buddy read! I loved discussing this one.
Great review, This is on my TBR list, I just have to squeeze it in somewhere
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