The Yoo family originated in Seoul. Yoo Young and her daughter Meh-hee came on ahead of the father of the family, Yoo Pak, as a couple in Baltimore offered to provide accommodation for Young and Meh-hee in exchange for assistance in their grocery store. What Young had not appreciated was that she was to work from 6 a.m. until midnight, seven days a week. For years she hardly saw her daughter except when the Kangs brought Meh-hee to see her at the store. Meh-hee became Mary and struggled at school: her fellow pupils were no exceptions to the rule that children can be cruel and Mary was an easy target.

Eventually they were joined by Pak, a traditional Korean man who expected absolute obedience from his wife and daughter. Neither had wanted to leave Seoul, but he had made his decision and that was that. Now he made another. They were to leave Baltimore and move to Miracle Creek where he planned to set up a business which provided hyperbaric oxygenation, or HBOT, to people who thought that they would benefit from receiving 100% oxygen at three times normal pressure. It provided a service (or pandered, depending on your point of view) to those desperate to find a solution to their problems. Amongst these were mothers of children with autism and a doctor with fertility problems.

On a day in late August 2008 Pak asked his wife to lie for him. It wasn't a big lie, just being at the controls for him whilst he checked that some protesters weren't doing any damage, but to say that he was actually there. It wasn't a big lie, was it? Pak didn't even really think of it as a lie, just a sensible thing to do, but it came at the end of a disruptive day and that was when the fire started. Would it have had a better outcome if Pak had been at the controls? He persuaded Young that it wouldn't: two people would still be dead.

In the event is wasn't Pak who was arrested but the mother of one of the victims. There was a lot of circumstantial evidence against Elizabeth: she'd not been in the chamber when the fire started but she'd deliberately placed her son in what was the worst position should a fire start. She'd (unwisely) admitted that there were occasions when she wished Henry dead. But did Elizabeth start the fire?

This could have been a courtroom thriller like so many that we've seen recently, but it's a great deal more than that. There's a sensitive exploration of what it's like to bring up a special needs child, the unrelenting day-in, day-out of it all, the constant need to be finding something else which could be the answer, the therapies which just might work the miracle. You might begin by wondering why a mother would put this strain on her child, why she's quite so driven but you'll finish by wondering if you could cope in that situation and thanking whatever god you worship if you haven't had to.

There is, too, a great deal of insight into what it's like to leave your homeland and come to another country, particularly if you don't understand the language. Even some of the sounds used in English don't exist in Korean. The other problem which the Yoo family faced was the blatant, unapologetic sexism in Korean culture which travelled well as it moved halfway round the world. Back in Seoul this might have been acceptable: in 21st century USA, Pak is going to find himself challenged.

It's a good plot too: discovering who the arsonist really is was a real puzzle and I swung this way and that. Was it really Elizabeth? What was the doctor doing, meeting teenager Mary Yoo secretly in the woods? Would the protesters actually go to such lengths to make their point about such treatments for autistic children? What effect did the insurance policy which would pay out $1.3m have on Pak's thinking?

I read the book over a couple of days, with real pleasure. Angie Kim is a debut author but she delivers great characters, a good plot and something for you to think about long after you've turned the final page. I look forward to what she writes next and I'd like to thank the publishers for making a copy available to the Bookbag.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review.

I was really intrigued by the blurb of this book and there were so many rave reviews. I was thrilled to be approved for this one.

I will be honest in saying that I did not love this book. It was a good book. It kept me entertained and I learnt a great deal about Autism and the struggles that parents with Autistic children face.

It is definitely a book worth reading.

Genre: General Fiction/Murder-Mystery
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Pub. Date: April 16, 2019

The novel begins with a tossed cigarette causing a fatal explosion which kills two people in a possible permeated murder. Still, the story can read more sci-fi than murder- mystery. This is because mothers seeking a miracle cure for their autistic children go into a large chamber that looks like a submarine. The families take ‘dives’ where they are exposed to high levels of pressurized oxygen. However, it turns out that “hyperbaric oxygen therapy” (HBOT) is an actual treatment. (This reviewer needed to google to learn that fact). You can even buy a chamber on-line. Learning the truth took some of the fun out of the story. Turns out, the author is not mixing the genres. The book is a murder-mystery courtroom drama. Indeed, a very good one that will keep the reader guessing till the very end. The author has real-life experience as a former litigator which makes the court scenes believable.

A Korean couple and their teenage daughter own and run a small HBOT facility. A mother and a child, not her own, both die in the chamber due to the explosion. The mother of the deceased child was taking a break and she remained outside for that fatal session. She becomes the murder suspect on trial. But, the author keeps us guessing. Was it really this particular mom or the owners or even a protesting mom who does not believe in the therapy? All the twists make for an entertaining read. However, Kim shines when writing on the dynamics of all the families: The difficulty of the immigrant experience, the frustration of having an unhappy teen who wants to go back to Korea and yet she is more American in her speech and mannerisms than her parents will ever be. You will meet a couple in marital discords. A Caucasian American doctor married to a Korean woman participates in the dives because his wife says it will help them conceive. It turns out that HBOT can also help with low sperm count. He personally believes the treatments are nonsense but appeases his wife, putting himself in what he considers a humiliating position—Great tensions.

This is a legal thriller at its best. The story is so good because it combines a murder-mystery with family issues, the immigrant experience, and most strongly the heart-wrenching emotions of the parents who have daily superhuman caregiving demands. (Example?) There is also an emphasis on the social drama provoked by different parenting beliefs. The group of protesting moms feels those who put their kids in these chambers (which can on rare occasions, really be dangerous) do not accept their children as they are, and want to ‘fix’ them. They hold signs reading “I’m a child not a lab rat.” The author’s own son received HBOT treatments. Once again, Kim uses her personal experience to create authentic scenarios. This courtroom drama is so good it will pose threat to any other in the genre.

This is a character-driven story told from several POV. Everyone has a secret and is lying. Mostly with best intentions in mind but everything somehow comes together on one particular day when a terrible thing happens and left two people dead. What lead to this horrible event and the dreadful death of an eight year old boy with special needs and a mother of 5 is told in this intense book.

It begins with Young, a Korean woman who came to America with her daughter to aim for a better life for her child. She was sent by her husband who stayed behind for several years. Young hat to work hard within her first years and had hardly time for her daughter. Now the family is reunited and making a living in the States. They are running a facility for a special treatment with oxygen. There is a group of people who a doing this kind of treatment for several reasons. One of them is Elizabeth who has an autistic son, Henry, and is doing everything to make her son more “normal”. On this particular day everything started with a small lie. At the end two people are dead and Elizabeth is facing a trial for murdering her son.

The story is quite complex and reveals its secrets very slowly. Everybody is keeping something hidden. The book is at its best when it shows us the scenes in court. Then it really gets interesting and gripping. When it is close to its characters it is sometimes is a bit too slow and over-explaining. It is a tragic story and when it gets to its final revelations my heart really broke for poor little Henry. And also for Elizabeth. The book is a slow-burner but after a while it burned itself into my mind and the story will stay with me for a while. Its intensity compensates the sometimes lengthy over-explaining. It is a unique book and definitely worth reading.

We follow a large cast of characters that all have their reasons for being at Miracle Submarine. The character development slowly unfolds as we learn more about each person's reason. The explosions has uncovered so many things that were meant to stay hidden. I really had no idea who caused the explosion or why they did it. As soon as I thought I knew someone else's secret would be explained leaving another person looking suspicious.

I really enjoyed the writing style. Even though I am not a fan of a slow paced book like this the story was always progressing which kept me intrigued the entire time. I would not call this a thriller. This is more a heavy contemporary with a who done it foundation. For that reason I think there are a lot of people out there that will really enjoy this book.

Absolutely loved this book. The only downside was I didn’t have enough time to read it as quickly as I’d liked! A truly compelling courtroom drama that grips the reader.

Many thanks to the publishers and netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book made me angry and sad, and then just sad. But I couldn’t stop reading it, and it took me three days to finish.

Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read this book, and I look forward to more from Angie Kim.

4.25 Stars.

Actions always have consequences. Their impact is everlasting. The characters in Angie Kim’s “Miracle Creek” are reeling from them.

Pak is new the proprietor of Miracle Submarine, an HBOT facility providing hyperbaric oxygenation to those with serious health issues (such as infertility and autism) for which it has been proven to provide speed healing.

One day during a night session with protesters outside, the submarine ignites and explodes. Tragedy strikes. Neither Pak or his wife Young, were where they were supposed to be. Not that they would admit it.

Elizabeth, mother to one of the children in the chamber, left her child in the care of someone else and now she is on trial. Matt, a doctor, and his wife Janine, keep secrets from each other, day in, day out.

In fact, secrets are par for the course in this small community and no one is immune from the after effects.

Told from several perspectives, and timelines (before, the day of the accident and during the trial), “Miracle Creek” is a fascinating character driven novel. The author did an amazing job portraying the anguish of so many of the characters, including the parents of special needs children and the difficulties they face every day. The trial was brilliantly done and I was glued to the edge of my seat throughout the duration.

“Miracle Creek” is a devastating and heart wrenching novel. Admittedly, it made me think a lot about marriage and the importance of communication. It is a wholly important, beautifully written novel that I read very thoughtfully and its impact is overreaching.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Hodder and Stoughton and Angie Kim for an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Published on Goodreads, NetGalley, Amazon and Twitter on 6.9.19.

Miracle Creek was a courtroom drama that kept me turning the pages and asking questions and I really wanted to know who was guilty and what secrets everyone was hiding. The story centres around a Korean family and their move to the USA and it really packed a punch. There's mystery, murder, grief, disability, and so much packed into the story that once you reach the end, you may need a little time to digest everything.

The story begins a year after the arson attack at HBOT an oxygen treatment facility that is said to improve everything. The patients are mothers with their children who are on the autism spectrum and a male doctor with infertility issues. The trial begins and Elizabeth (one of the mother's whose son died in the explosion) is accused of the murder. This begins the questions and the story and the who really did do it, as the story unfolds and each character has their own story to tell about that night and the lead up to the incident.

This is a really well-written courtroom drama that you won't want to miss out on. the writing was excellent, the characters well developed, and there wasn't anything I disliked.

Miracle Creek is the story of families with autistic children and the depths and heights they will go to get help and a cure.
Angie Kim writes this riveting storyline with the anguish, love and desperation each family goes through. But when someone sabotages their trials and people die! Who could possibly hurt the weakest among up. You’d be shocked. Excellent story itself

This storyline got repetitive and boring to me, and I found myself skipping pages already covered in another chapter.
That was the reason for the3 stars.

This book is receiving a lot of hype, and trust me, it is well deserved. I try not to read reviews on Goodreads or Amazon until after I have finished a book. When I did, I noticed that the reviewers on this one went to extremes (even by Goodreads' standards) in providing lengthy detailed summaries, so I'll skip that and keep it to a minimum.

As is detailed in the book's summary, this is a literary courtroom drama about a Korean immigrant family and a single mother accused of murdering her 8 year old autistic son. The boy was killed in a fire involving an experimental medical treatment known as the Miracle Submarine. But it is by no means a standard courtroom drama, like those written by John Grisham or Richard North Patterson. Instead it goes deep into the minds and souls of everyone associated with the trial -- each of the Yoos (the family at the heart of the story), the defendant, another mother of a special needs child, and another man who survived the fire. It is a book about the butterfly effect or about what-ifs or if-onlys. Since it's been published, I can quote a passage that for me described the book perfectly.

But that was the way life worked. Every human being was the result of a million differenc factors mixing together -- one of a million sperm arriving at the egg at exactly a certain time; even a millisecond off, and another entirely different person would result. Good things and bad -- every friendship and romance formed, every accident, every illness -- resulted from the conspiracy of hundreds of little thigs, in and of themselves inconsequential.

The writing in Miracle Creek is absolutely beautiful, and I am in awe that this is Ms. Kim's debut novel. It is so sad that you'll feel deeply for so many characters, and you'll want to hug somebody tightly when you finish. It is poignant and passionate and emotional. It is also eminently readable. And after reading the Acknowledgments, I wished I could meet Angie Kim for a few glasses of wine. I can't give enough praise.to Miracle Creek. Read it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me a digital ARC in return for an honest review, and thank you Angie Kim for writing Miracle Creek.

I liked Angie Kim's writing but after a while I found myself getting confused as to who was who and where they fitted in to the storyline.
Ultimately I felt I was caught in the middle of an Agatha Christie novel on a train going round on a loop but never stopping at my station.
So, somewhat good but not good enough for me.

This is essentially a murder mystery- but with a difference. The context and setting are original and make the book intriguing. The story is about a Korean family trying to set up a new business in the United States. The business is a building dedicated to treatments of children with special needs and the occasional adult. The author's understanding of the nature of these needs such as autism and the effect on families is impressive. The challenges facing the Korean family are well used too in the story. The main part of the book concerns the court case trying to convict a murderer and that is done with considerable detail. The ending is unexpected in more ways than one. The book is well written and the characters well drawn. It is deeply analytical and sensitive.

I really enjoyed this multi faceted, multi layered book. Told over the four days of a trial, with flashbacks to a year previously, the story unfolds of a terrible fire in a submarine which left two people dead and several with life changing injuries. The primary viewpoint we see in the book is that of Young, wife of the owner of the submarine, who was left paralysed by the accident. But was it an accident? As the book unfolds, it turns out there was far more going on that evening at miracle creek than anyone could have guessed. Clandestine meetings, life changing decisions, fraud, bonbon eating, protesting... layers and layers of intrigue unfold as Young discovers more and more about the night that changed the lives of many,
While at the heart of this book is a mystery and a murder trial, trying to discover who set the fire, what surrounds it is a collection of very human stories. The Korean immigrant family trying to make a life for themselves in America take centre stage, but around them are a cast of others. Matt and Janine, a mixed marriage, and the difficulties they face together. The patients in the miracle submarine, and their children, the lives they lead, the special needs of those children, and the varying challenges that parenting a disabled child present, as well as how these can impact on your own life. The friendship between Elizabeth and Kitt, and how it changed over the time they were forced to spend together, and the impact of competitive parenting, visible in all spectrums of life. And Mary. Brought to the states as a child, now a teenager,, straddling the lines of the American dream and her Korean heritage, childhood and adulthood. Dealing with strained relationships with her parents and the aching need to be more grown up than the way they see you. All of these complex, nuanced relationships are so well drawn and so absolutely compelling. There is quite a large cast of characters in this book, but none of them feel under drawn. Although there are certainly some I would have liked to hear from, like Kitt, I can understand and respect the decisions of the author. Angie Kim is a Korean immigrant herself, and her understanding of the impact this can have on families shines clearly through the book. Mary's choice of language, disparaging reaction to her mother, and even changing of her name, all feel like there is real weight of experience and knowledge behind them. The narrative twists and turns, and I was constantly changing my mind about who had set the fire. Thoroughly enjoyable, and entirely compelling, Miracle Creek is a legal process, a forensic examination of family, friends, the bonds that tie us together, and the threads that weave the rich, complex tapestry of life.

Courtroom drama in optima forma, with lots of twists and turns and very well written. Contrary to other reviewers I had no trouble getting into the story - I had a bit of trouble with the last say 25%. By that time, I was getting a little tired of reading about the smallest details over and over, without really learning something new.
However, the story is an extraordinary one, with engaging characters and interesting viewpoints.

Thanks to NetGally for this digital review copy.

Thank you to NetGalley, Angie Kim and Hodder & Stoughton for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review!

In the small town of Miracle Creek, Young and Pak Yoo run an experimental medical treatment known as “Miracle Submarine”. It is a pressurized oxygen chamber that patients enter for therapy “dives” in hopes of curing autism or infertility. But when miracle submarine explodes, killing two people a dramatic murder upends the small community.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect going into this novel with all the hype and I was worried that this wouldn’t be up my alley. But I was pleasantly surprised by how interested in this novel I actually was and how much I enjoyed how the courtroom drama was portrayed. I was shocked by the twists and behaviour of some of the characters in this novel and I enjoyed seeing the ending coming together. I really enjoyed all the little dramas that added up to causes this explosion! This one made me feel so many different emotions and I couldn’t help but keep reading to find out what mess was coming next. I thoroughly enjoyed the ending and am definitely recommending everyone give this one a try!

I admit that I'm drawn to heart-wrenching books and many that make me ugly cry, but I was sobbing at the end of this lovely debut. It got me thinking about the Autism Spectrum as the novel deals with several autistic kids whose parents seek "the miracle submarine" (which is in reality a hyperbaric chamber) in order to promote healing, as breathing in 100% oxygen is thought to repair damaged cells quickly. But in reality, aren't there actually many "spectrums" in life? Isn't there a Love Spectrum and at any given time you may find yourself at any end of it or somewhere in the middle? Or a Guilt Spectrum where you may experience mild guilt or the gut-wrenching kind that eats away at your conscience? Kim speaks to so many issues in this novel which is so beautifully written that you can't tear yourself away. Parenting and relationships are difficult no matter how competent we are and there will be missteps along the way where we misjudge and are misjudged.
So even though this book centers around a murder trial with many perspectives, the deeper issues beneath the surface are what make the novel so poignant and rich in its voice. It is truly a gem; just keep the tissues handy!

This book was definitely out of my.comfort zone and I enjoyed reading something new. The courtroom drama/murder mystery/immigration is not like anything else I've read.

https://www.amazon.com/review/create-review/ref=cm_cr_dp_mb_wr_but?channel=awUDPv3&ref_=cm_cr_dp_mb_wr_but&asin=B07D6NC123&_encoding=UTF8&

Truly excellent and thought provoking.

A well written courtroom drama that is far more than a mere legal thriller.

It deals with so many threads. Family, immigrants and how they assimilate, autism, new medical advances, women’s issues and so much more.

The prose is clear, spare and elegant.

Read it!