Miracle Creek

A Novel

By: Angie Kim

Narrated by: Jennifer Lim

Length: 14 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

Edgar Allan Poe Award Nominee, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Best Books of the Year, 2019

Library Journal Best Books of the Year, 2019

Amazon.com Best Books of the Year, 2019

Hudson Booksellers Best of the Year, 2019

Anthony Awards - Nominee, 2020

Thriller Awards - Nominee, 2020

Edgar Allan Poe Award Winner, 2020

This program includes a bonus interview with the author and original music composed and performed by Steve Draughn.

A thrilling debut about how far we’ll go to protect our families - and our deepest secrets.

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....

In rural 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" with the hopes of curing issues like autism or infertility. But when the Miracle Submarine mysteriously explodes, killing two people, a dramatic murder trial upends the Yoos’ small community.

Who or what caused the explosion? Was it the mother of one of the patients, who claimed to be sick that day but was smoking down by the creek? Or was it Young and Pak themselves, hoping to cash in on a big insurance payment and send their daughter to college?

The ensuing trial uncovers unimaginable secrets from that night - trysts in the woods, mysterious notes, child-abuse charges - as well as tense rivalries and alliances among a group of people driven to extraordinary degrees of desperation and sacrifice.

Angie Kim’s Miracle Creek is a thoroughly contemporary take on the courtroom drama, drawing on the author’s own life as a Korean immigrant, former trial lawyer, and mother of a real-life "submarine" patient. Both a compelling pause-resister and an excavation of identity and the desire for connection, Miracle Creek is a brilliant, empathetic debut from an exciting new voice.

©2019 Angie Kim (P)2019 Macmillan Audio, Music 2019 Steve Draughn

Fell Short

I think the real premise of this book was allowing people to understand the thoughts and feelings of parents of special needs kids and immigrants. Since that wouldn't make an interesting book to read, they threw in a fire, death and a whodunit story that just didn't cut it

Fabulous Listen

As complex as this plot is, Kim keeps all the threads untangled masterfully. While the narration suited the story, the reader sounded like they had a fresh cold or sever allergies.

A Profound, Riveting Debut

If you're looking for a novel with a palpable mystery and a totally original storyline, you've found it. Told from the aspects of seven very human, very flawed characters, you'll find your allegiance vacillating as you try to figure out not only WHO did it, but WHY they did it.

Kim offers up multiple timely topics including Autism, infertility, and immigration among others (I don't want to give anything away) with a deft, empathetic hand. A fantastic multi-faceted character study on what it means to be willing to try anything to "fix" diagnoses and how a person can become embroiled in lies big and small. Different versions of parenthood and marriage examined beneath the uncomfortable scrutiny of a very revealing magnifying glass.

There are parts if this book SO well written, it's tough to read them. The writing is succinct, spot-on ~ Angie Kim is a wordsmith, evoking lines so beautiful, so true, so painfully raw.

I could not stop listening to this novel, couldn't wait to hear each next chapter. I promise, when you finish, you'll need to discuss many aspects of this provocative story.

Packs a punch

Wow, there is SO much going on in this story, and the author is successful in keeping it all tied together. The issues and subplots include 1) the experience of being a Korean immigrant 2) the challenges of parenting a special needs child 3) courtroom drama and the manipulation of evidence by attorneys 4) the philosophical question of "what if...." This is such a layered narrative. My only reservation was the author's use of over-long dialogue sequences where the characters disclose/explain/reveal their thoughts and actions; it seemed unrealistic. Apart from that, it's an excellent book with good narration.

Good story, but way too long

Good story, with plenty of twists and turns. However the author spent way too much time on the court proceedings. I feel like this book could be 3 hours shorter and just as good, if not better.

Unique, engaging, tough to put down!

This is an intriguing story that jumps right into the plot and holds a well-paced momentum all the way to the end. Angie Kim does a masterful job of tying together a complex storyline while, at the same time, making it so rational that the reader/listener has no problem following along with the nuisances. It’s never predictable. The subject matter is unique — a hyperbaric chamber business that can heal issues other than wounds and burns, but this obe has a clientele comprised mostly of children who have Autism, Cerebral Palsy, and other developmental disabilities. The proprietors are Korean immigrants whose cultural differences play-out maritally, which I think a reader can’t help but compare/contrast with a local couple (clearly native born Americans) who don’t live by the same code. This book is truly amazing on a “whodunnit” level, but add the sociological aspects to it and wow! I particularly liked the way the reader gets insight into the Autism Mom’s group and gets an opportunity to understand frustrations they deal with. Angie Kim writes with intelligence, the fact that she is a Harvard educated attorney makes sense because the litigation that runs throughout most of the book is perfection! Jennifer Lim is an amazing reader. She truly brings the characters to life. She never falters. I highly recommend Miracle Creek!

Great Storyline!

Although the book is fiction, the storyline can be relatable to real life. Left me wanting more details of what unfolded after Mary confessed.

Powerful story

Excellent narration, dramatically moving, beautifully written story.
Recommend to anyone that’s searching for a miracle.

Best Book of the Year (so far)

Where do I begin?

I loved everything about this book, and after reading up on the author and hearing her process, I love it even more.

The book centers around many characters, but the main unit is a recently immigrated Korean family living in Virginia. The family runs a HBOT (Hyperbaric oxygen therapy) facility- which is used as medical treatment for various things (e.g. burns, celiacs, autism, etc). When a fire mysteriously breaks out at the facility, leaving two dead, the trial begins and the mystery is unraveled.

Each chapter is written from a different person's point of view, building upon each other until the end of the book when all is revealed. I especially enjoyed the court room scenes, as the author is a former litigator, she does a fantastic job of making the scenes realistic.

I would highly recommend if you enjoy mysteries, court room drama, or stories centered around family units.

Mixed bag

I was excited about beginning this book based on the hype. There are definitely some things to like about it, including the striking descriptions of the difficulties faced by immigrants and parents of handicapped kids. But there are also some things that made it something less than the "thrilling debut" promised by the publishers. The storyline seemed to proceed at a slow pace and struck me as being a little contrived. Except for Elizabeth's lawyer, I found all of the characters unlikeable. Perhaps the narration by Jennifer Lim contributed to my feelings of annoyance with each of them.. Overall, I'd rate the book slightly above average.