Miracle Creek is a debut novel by Angie Kim and I found it to be extremely well written and engaging. The novel is basically a murder-mystery, most of which takes place in a courtroom. Each chapter is told by a different character in the story and their voices really give a wonderful insight to the qualities that make-up each individual. I liked knowing what drove each character’s personality, even if I didn’t particularly like that character.
The plot centers around an experimental hyperbaric oxygen treatment center run by a Korean family. Four patients and two parents are in the machine’s chamber one evening when a fire and explosion take place, killing 2 people and injuring 3 others. The author slowly unravels secrets that each character has kept hidden, not letting the full truth unfold until the end of the book. The novel explores family relationships, Korean Americans/immigration, parenting an autistic child and the widespread effects of not telling the truth. It would be a great book club book – lots of discussion points and philosophical questions.
I almost didn’t pick this book off of the shelf, but I am so glad that I did!
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