Title/Author: Miracle Creek by Angie Kim

Publisher: FSG Books

In a nutshell (Publisher):

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 page-turner and an excavation of identity and the desire for connection, Miracle Creek is a brilliant, empathetic debut from an exciting new voice.

Verdict: Must-Read Debut!

My thoughts:

“That was the thing about lies: they demanded commitment. Once you lied, you had to stick to your story.”

Fans and lovers of courtroom drama, you’re going to love this.

Two victims were killed in a fire inside Miracle Submarine, a machine believed to cure autism. The only person who was certified to use this machine was Pak Yoo, who of course became one of the suspects. But all eyes were on the main suspect, who was the mother of one of the victims. They believed she, out of frustration and pent-up anger, set fire to the machine to kill her 8 year-old son who has autism.

The novel is told through multiple POVs which made it so interesting and all the more suspenseful. They all ‘claimed’ innocence of course, but one of them was lying. Who?? But was this person really lying if he/she truly believed what they told was the truth? And the truth will only be revealed right at the very end. Yes, that’s how good this novel is. Gosh. The suspense almost killed me!

I love courtroom drama. This one was brilliant! I hung on to every word. Pondered on every argument and tried hard reading between the lines. The case and story were well built and plotted, with the right amount of tension and suspense.

Every character was perfectly developed. They’re all so relatable – their anger, heartaches, shame, guilt, frustrations, all of them, so flawed, so human.

So who was it who had the heart to commit such an unforgivable, heinous crime??? I thought I knew all along what exactly happened, only to realize, I was wrong!

I was so committed in solving the case locked myself away from everything and everyone and devoured this book. It was that good.

Besides the page-turning plot, relevant issues like challenges of being an immigrant and parents of special needs children, interracial marriage, racism were also brought to focus, and written unbiasedly!

This is definitely going to be one of my top reads of the year. Will be keeping an eye out for more of Angie Kim’s works! I can’t believe this is her debut!

Thank you Netgalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.

*Quotes included here are from an advanced readers copy and are subject to change upon final publication.

Have you read this book? Did you enjoy it? If you haven’t, do you intend to? Please share with me your thoughts!

Till then, may the force of good books be with you always and HAPPY READING!