A story that starts off with an explosion that takes place at an hyperbaric facility run by a South Korean family in Virginia, USA killing a child and a woman. The rest of the story is centred around the courtroom trial against the alleged defendant of the explosion, the mother of the child who died in the explosion. Secrets and snippets of the truth are therefore revealed both in and out of the courtroom.

I appreciate that this story was told from the perspectives of the various characters in the story. It added to the mystery thereby creating suspense and managed to grab my attention from the first page. It had me trying to figure out the truth entangled in the web of lies and secrets.

I thoroughly enjoyed the cultural diversity in this book. It was so interesting to read about South Korean culture in terms of family dynamics and values, traditions, food and way of living. It was also interesting reading from the perspective of the mothers of the autistic children as reading about their thoughts and emotions showed their immense love for their children shadowed by their agony regarding their thoughts.

The writing is absolutely beautiful, eloquent and melodic. I am in awe of the author and her way with words. The only part of the story that I did not enjoy was the path that the author decided to take the defendant on and then after that, I felt that the story was in such a hurry to finish off as if the story was running to meet a deadline of some sort.

Overall a beautiful book about how tragedy mixed with secrets, pride and feelings of bitterness can tear people apart and causing turmoil and pain.

A special thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Set in rural Virginia, Miracle Creek starts with an explosion at an HBOT facility, owned and operated by Pak and Young Yoo, Korean immigrants. Sealed inside the chamber are four patients undergoing treatment, and their caregivers. Tragically, 8-year-old Henry and the mother of another patient perish in the fire.

When it becomes apparent that the explosion wasn't an accident, but an act of arson, Pak You is the primary suspect. With an airtight alibi and solid evidence that suggests otherwise, he is eventually cleared by police—but the evidence that helped clear Pak incriminates Henry's mother, Elizabeth.

This powerful story unfolds during a four day trial. Told through multiple voices, it becomes apparent that everyone is hiding something. The reader must sift through evidence, betrayals, secrets, lies, and confessions, to find out who is responsible.

After reading the first few pages of Kim's debut, I thought I had been duped into reading a science fiction novel. But after googling "hyperbaric oxygen therapy" (also known as HBOT), I was shocked to learn that not only it is in fact an actual treatment, but Kim's own son underwent 40 dives for ulcerative colitis. Patients are delivered a high concentration of oxygen in a pressurized chamber, much like a submarine. The treatment is used for: autism, carbon monoxide poisoning, skin burns/injuries, infertility, cerebral palsy, and depression.

As beautifully written as this book was, there is also an innate sadness that I wasn't expecting. There is a desperation from many of the characters, not only in the lengths that they will go to for the health and well-being of one of their loved ones, but also to clear their names. This is also an honest portrayal of the challenges of caring for someone with special needs—Kim doesn't shy away from the sometimes harsh realities that these caregivers face.

The trial testimonies are the perfect vehicle for this story. Kim's writing is razor sharp and relentless in these passages. You can see the influence of her former career as a litigator with the impeccable dialogue in the courtroom scenes.

Kim's writing and originality is what kept me going through this book. While I didn't love it, I genuinely liked it, and do feel compelled to point out again what an extraordinary author she is. The mystery aspect was both captivating and thrilling. But it was the characters themselves that were the negative, perhaps that was the point... Even with the unlikeability factor, the actual character study/character descent is something to be acknowledged, especially in a debut.

I loved this book. I had no idea what to expect but was thrilled to find myself plunged into a literary page-turner. The decision to employ multiple narrators offers a cast of fully realised characters who reveal their inner thoughts, bias, shameful secrets and regrets, and crafts interweaving threads as we slip back and forth in time seeing the incident in question from a number of viewpoints. I enjoyed the slow dripfeed of information which built tension and offered a number of twists as the reader's perceptions are changed. I admired the way seemingly insignificant decisions and acts contributed to a tragedy. Themes of family loyalty, lies, the immigrant experience, courtroom drama, all adding up to a great read. One of the year's highlights for me!

Still processing how I feel about it. I didn’t hate it and I didn’t love it (content is very hard to love, this will make sense if you read it). I did give it 4 stars for the writing style and originality.

How far would you go to protect your child from the world, from yourself? Is this protection for their benefit or for your own? Do you value your marriage? Is shielding a hurtful truth from your spouse for their benefit or yours? You will find yourself asking: “what would I do?” many times; and, also passing judgment (some deserved, some not so much)

I hated many of the characters but that was probably the intention. All the little white lies they tell to save their hides without a care for anyone else: selfish bunch of people that is for sure.

This is a very unusual novel about a Korean family resettled in the USA. Pak Yoo, Young Yoo, and their daughter Mary live in a town called Miracle Creek. Young and Mary emigrated first, and Young worked long days in a grocery store, leaving the daughter on her own a lot of the time. Pak then emigrated and set up a hyperbaric chamber with neat oxygen to attempt to heal conditions like autism, ADHD, low fertility, and other more complicated therapies.
Unfortunately some locals are doubtful that the treatment works, and there are protests about it all. After a disastrous fire, a local woman, whose son died in the fire is eventually charged with the death of two peole and her son, through smoking near the back of the chamber.
a very tense and lengthy trial follows, with lots of red herrings, twists and turns until the truth eventually comes out.

It took me a while to get into this book and I have to admit that I never really got to grips with it. The idea behind the story is a good one and is original but I didn't particularly warm to any of the characters and for me to enjoy a book I need to connect with the characters and feel they're real - and these characters just seemed wooden. I'm also not a great fan of courtroom dramas so that's probably coloured my judgement a little.

Miracle Creek by Angie Kim is primarily a legal thriller but blended well into it is not only a murder mystery and courtroom drama but the various aspects of the lives and relationships of it’s many players. The book begins with the event that will then fast-forward readers a year to the trial all the while looking back to what happened from the various points of view.

The setting of the incident in question in this story takes place in a small town in Virginia where Korean immigrants, Pak and Young Yoo, have set up a very unique business. The Yoo’s are running a hyperbaric chamber that is built to handle many patients inside at one time as it’s been found that the oxygen therapy that takes place in one of these chambers can help with anything from infertility to autism.

One morning the Yoo’s are running one of their group sessions when things do not go as planned. The group inside the chamber are all regulars and familiar with one another but as the session takes place protesters have staked out the area, the Yoo’s are distracted, one mother stays out of the chamber to sneak off for some alone time and while all is happening around them the chamber explodes. Evidence leads to a trial taking place a year from the accident where all the secrets and lies will be revealed.

Ok, I have to admit that starting out reading this book the first response it got out of me was really pure anger. The jump ahead has a mother of an autistic child on trial for the explosion because the child was a burden to her… WHAT?!?!? So after fighting the urge to throw it across the room I continued on to find an emotional roller coaster with plenty of spiraling twists and turns. In the end I thought to myself any book that can elicit a strong emotional reaction that fast and then keep the pages turning deserves high marks. 4 1/2 stars from me for this thought provoking read.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

The Miracle Submarine is a new development by Korean immigrant Pak Yoo, who claims to be able to cure a variety of illnesses and diseases using pure oxygen. However, when the tank explodes during a session, the spotlight is shone on anyone who may have benefited from the accident…

Miracle Creek is a book that has had a lot of hype surrounding it as shown by it’s Amazon post which boasts ‘the most anticipated book of 2019’. I have seen so many 5 stars reviews on Goodreads from friends and strangers that made me very excited to have this book in my TBR. This may have led to me having high expectations going in though which ultimately ended in some disappointment.

The plot is certainly unusual for a courtroom drama and it’s a good premise – using a technology I had never heard of – a pure oxygen hyper chamber which is meant to cure a range of problems from infertility to autism. The premise was great and I liked the wide range of characters that the scenario introduced us to. The story also really delved into what it must be like for women who are mothers to children with extreme learning difficulties and illnesses, I also liked how it explored cultural expectations for all members of immigrant families. I liked how the book bounced me around trying to work out who was the perpetrator – there were so many red herrings and possible suspects that it was hard to guess.

I guess my main problem was that it was a little drawn out in places. For example, in the court room the detective’s methods of suspicion is typed out 4 times in full (with little additions, as if on a whiteboard). This felt patronising to the reader and got tedious at times. Also the constant red herrings also got a little waring as time went on. What started out as a read that got me hooked eventually made me impatient to get it finished by the end.

Overall, Miracle Creek is a good courtroom drama on an interesting subject, it just gets a little too drawn out in places. Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

How did the mother of an autistic boy, whose life was dedicated to seeing him improve, end up on trial for his murder?

Lots of different voices tell this story, the events that led up to the tragedy and the actions that followed proved one thing. Everybody lies.

Little white lies, great big whoppers, lies told to other people, lies told to oneself. Every single person in this story told a lie and then told themselves it didn't matter, it had no consequence.

Except all the lies had consequences.

I thoroughly enjoyed this examination of the life of an immigrant family. The pressure put upon a child to be part of the new world and part of the old at the same time leading to them feeling they are part of neither rings true.

The mothers are all looking for a cure for their child's ailments and conditions. While almost entering into a competition about which child is worse off and who works harder to find a cure they miss out on the joy of simply loving their child for who they are.

Angie Kim examines the lives of these people and in doing so not only tells a great story but makes us think about our own lives and the lies we tell ourselves and others simply to get through the day.

I do love a courtroom drama that’s what initially drew me to this debut novel ,as
most this book is set in the courtroom .The events of that fateful night are exposed as we follow the trial of Elizabeth accused of starting the fire that killed her son Henry and friend kitty and destroying so many lives.

Young and pak yoo move to Virginia to
Give there daughter Mary a better life. Opening an experimental hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber shown to help those with special needs and virility that was housed in in the barn behind there house they were doing just that until the explosion.

As Each witness is examined their version of events given , its hard to know who is telling the truth and who is lying. I was sure each time I knew who was lying .... wrong!

It did take a little time to get into but once it got going and the trial started that’s when this book became alive !I was enthralled. It really shows how hard it is to lie and get away with it .
I look forward to seeing what else this author has to offer .

Miracle Creek by Angie Kim kept me puzzled for hours. This courtroom drama has so many layers and twists in the plot, that the final answer to the whodunnit question is different from what you thought just before turning to the next page. The narrative from different characters and viewpoints, very relatable thoughts and conversations are woven into parent-child relationships. Life insurance payment, a controversial Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT), entrepreneurship, and roots in South Korea. Secrets get exposed, judge, prosecutor, defense, and jury get informed, while the main part of the book is not about the activities in the courtroom, but focuses on peeling off the layers that made up fabricated stories, alibis, and distractions.

In rural Virginia, child abuse, determining whether the device known as the Miracle Submarine: a pressurized oxygen chamber for this HBOT, used to treat autism and infertility, are big issues. Don’t expect miracles to happen, but be prepared for a well-written crime fiction work.

Wow, what a fabulous debut. Loved it. Brilliant in every way, and all a book should be. Engaging, thrillingly well-written, mind-blowing. A good court room drama. Recommended reading.

This book has been getting so much hype that I was nervous to start it, I didn't know how it could hold up to all that praise, but this book is well deserved of the love it's received. This is such a well-written novel that I am shocked this is a debut.

I don't want to say too much about this one as there's already so many wonderful reviews out there but whilst this book is a courtroom drama/mystery there is a lot more than just that going on. This book explores a lot of different themes and in a really fantastic way.

This was such a compelling, brilliant book that I really enjoyed reading. It wasn't a 5 star read for me as it did take me a while to get into, it starts rather slow, and it dragged slightly at parts for me but i'm excited to see what is to come in the future from this amazing new author.

“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 ." This is how Miracle Creek starts, with an anxious thrilling anekdote. As a fervent lover of murder mysteries, this book was a great help to get me through waiting for Midsomer Murder’s next season in Belgium. I’d like to thank Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for allowing me to read this 5-star book.

August 26, 2008. An incident in Miracle Creek changes the lives of seven people forever. Pak Yoo performs hyperbaric oxygen therapy in his Miracle Submarine, but an explosion of the barn leads to the death of 2 people, with 3 others permanently injured. One year later, a week-long trial will determine who is to blame. Is it the mother of the deceased child, who simply wanted to get rid of her autistic son? Were it the protestors, who wanted to show Yoo how dangerous his treatment was? Or was it someone else, and is the crime even more layered than the judge initially thought? With everyone lying to protect themselves and their families, who knows what’s the truth.

Murder mystery books are usually heavy, so while I do love them, they are not my usual genre. Yet, Miracle Creek did not disappoint. When you read this book, you need to understand that our legal system is flawed. Justice doesn’t always end with a fitting punishment, neither is justice something black or white. This isn’t an easy read, and sometimes, you’ll want to put the book down. Nonetheless, for a debut, this was an outstanding suspenseful plot with a gripping writing style. There were 7 perspectives, each showing a character’s trauma, motivations, lies and flaws. It was all build-up really well. Every point of view manipulates you into thinking and protecting someone, even when they look guilty in another chapter. While someone’s chapter can make you hate another character, you’ll feel sorry for her in the next.

To start with, it was a storyline that felt completely new to me. I had never heard of HBOT before, and at first, it seemed too complicated to me. As the story progresses, you realize how crazily original it is to use something that’s supposed to be healing as a murder weapon. Simply said, HBOT is a way of therapy where you breathe in 100% oxygen, which can improve infertility, autism, ADHD, and other severe issues. I’m not even close to being a parent, and yet Kim made it so easy to relate to these parents of mentally disabled children. You understand these human feelings they are going through, and it becomes impossible to hate them, even the initial suspect.

Parenting was one of this book’s major themes. Parents need to know that it’s human to occasionally see parenting as a competitive game, and that it’s okay to be tired when it feels like you’re lacking. Other important themes were migration, Korean culture, trauma, prejudice, special-needs, infertility, male authority and cheating. Therefore, you might have some issues with the male characters of Miracle Creek, as I did. In the end, I couldn’t stand Matt anymore. He did a very problematic thing, and while he never came clean about it, he still expected him and his wife to be okay.

I specifically liked the ending, and I know many did not. It showed injustice, and even the characters themselves were wondering if fairness had really helped them. Like I mentioned before, this is unfortunately realistic. I could easily guess who had caused the explosion in the end, but that didn’t bother me so much. This mystery had layers, and I was still wrong about the character’s motivations. The lines between victim and culprit were very thin for everyone, and I think indirectly everyone eventually caused the incident to happen. It shows how this was all a web of lies and fake alibis, ready to be torn apart. It was not simply the hunt for the culprit that made this so exciting, but how all the puzzle pieces fitted together.

I found nothing to complain about Miracle Creek, and therefore, it well deserved my 5-star rating. Everyone protected themselves and their families in a different way, and all those cover-ups created the biggest crime. This book left me breathless and messed up, and I can only hope a movie adaptation is on the way. Angie Kim, you managed to hook me until the last letter, and I’m looking forward to your future books.

A very interesting crime procedure which has to perplexed to the end . I did find it quite slow to capture me in some places but overall I enjoyed it. 3.5 stars rounded to 4

What’s it About? In small town Virignia a group of people get to know each other because they're all taking part in treatment in a hyperbaric chamber. Then the chamber explodes, people die, and everybody needs answers.

What I liked: Oh, but this book. I love a family saga, I love a small town story and I love a thriller. This book is all of that. Little Fires Everywhere in a courtroom, kind of? But also more than that. There's a guy with fertility issues putting a strain on his marriage, a Korean family struggling to make a life in America, their teenage daughter floundering and all of them struggling to communicate, two women with autistic children, friends through circumstance more than anything else, another lady with a disabled child who just wants to do the right thing, and all of their stories weave and intersect and it's so good and then there's the explosion and the court case and all the secrets and lies and truths. It's such a gripping read, but unlike most thrillers it's less crime-solving and more character driven. It's lush, unreliable narration at its best - each character was there when the chamber exploded and each has their own version of their events and I just...I really loved this book okay?

What I liked: Less I utterly loved this book, people. Loved it.

A gripping courtroom drama
and an unique storyline
the characters feel real due to the intricate individual descriptions of them all
this is a story of love, loss, sacrifice, secrets and lies

Excellent Debut

Thank you netgalley, Angie Kim, Hodder & Stoughton for allowing me to read and review this book.

Absolutely amazing. Very compelling and thought provoking. I’d read it was in the top 8 books so far this year and totally get it.
5/5 on goodreads

This was such an original and thought provoking novel. I was absolutely gripped by the drama, the characters, the implications of their actions and the serious questions raised within the narrative. This book is a combination of a courtroom drama, a murder investigation and a reflection on human behaviour when dealing with loyalty, disability, immigration, being a caregiver and coping with grief.

At the outset, we read of an explosion in which two people, a woman, Kitt and a small boy, Henry, are killed at the ‘Miracle Submarine’ a facility run by Korean immigrants, Pak and Young Yoo, which aims to help with conditions such as autism by using pure oxygen. The main story opens in the courtroom where Elizabeth is being tried for the murder of her son Henry and her friend Kitt. As the trial progresses the story is told by eyewitnesses, none of whom can be regarded as particularly reliable. The first person narrative switches flawlessly between the Yoo family including the daughter Mary, Matt a patient at the facility, Matt’s Korean wife Janine, Elizabeth, the accused, and Teresa, a survivor, like Matt, of the explosion.

Whilst all the evidence points to Elizabeth as being guilty of deliberately of murdering her autistic son as I read more about each of the other characters the doubt set in, they all had something to hide or were not telling the whole truth either through self-protection or misguided loyalty.

This is a terrific read which poses some challenging questions about what it means to have an autistic child and the associated hopes and fears. It is so well written, very emotionally charged and incredibly descriptive. It begs you to ask yourself the question, what would you do in the different circumstances described? Simply a great debut.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is just incredible. It's completely unlike anything I've ever read before, and I mean that in the best way possible.

I am completely amazed that it's a debut, and I would go as far as saying it is one of the best first novels I've ever read. The prose is beautiful, the plot is unique and well-paced, and the characters are some of the most vivid, fully-formed, and all round real characters I've ever had the joy of reading about.

There are dark moments, there are moments of beauty, and there are moments of heartbreak. It gives you an insight into so many words - those of immigrants, special needs parents, those trying to do their bit to make the world a better place.

It is just amazing. Read it. Now.