Miracle Creek by Angie Kim

Miracle Creek by Angie Kim

Angie Kim's debut novel, Miracle Creek, won the Edgar Award for Best First Time Novel and the Pinckley Prize, and was named a Time Best Mystery and Thriller Book of All Time. Since it was published in 2019, Angie Kim has published one other novel, Happiness Falls - which was chosen as a book club book by many well-known clubs and has raked in the praise. Miracle Creek deals with child abuse, emotional abuse, and sexual assault, ableism, adult/minor relationships, child death, infertility, sexual assault, grief, and fire resulting in death.

Miracle Creek is home to a special treatment center which uses a hyperbaric chamber to treat a variety of issues ranging from infertility to autism. When a fire breaks out next to the facility that results in the death of an eight-year-old child, Henry, and a mother of five, Kitt, it is considered a terrible tragedy. Until it is discovered that the fire was set deliberately - then rumors run rampant about who set the fire. Was it the owners of the facility, hoping for a big payout? Was it the parent of one of the young patients, fed up with taking care of a child with special needs? Was it one of the protestors who were warned earlier in the day to stop harassing the patients? Unravel the events that led up to the fire and what really happened that day as Henry's mother stands trial for his murder.

This novel is classified as both a mystery and literary, but I would argue that it leans far heavier into the literary category. Angie Kim is a great writer, pulling on her experience someone who moved from Seoul to Baltimore as a child. The characters felt very real and were well fleshed out, including their ample flaws. Were they likeable? At times, but not always. They were full of self doubt and selfishness and love for their families and the desire to do the right thing. The setting was easy to fall into and picture - everything was explained throughout the trial as if to a jury, so it was very easy to understand how the treatment was supposed to work. The pace was pretty quick and I never felt like it dragged, and I did not anticipate the ending. But I just did not feel connected to the characters. Perhaps because in something like this, were there are several points of view and even more characters to follow, it is difficult to really connect and empathize with the characters.

I'm giving Miracle Creek by Angie Kim 3.75 stars out of 5. On paper, it checked all of the boxes. But it just felt like something was missing. But I may check out her second novel at some point.

For more from the author, check out https://angiekimbooks.com/

Pairs well with dairy free, gluten free, coconut ice cream (in honor of Henry) and knowing what is covered in your insurance policies.

My favorite quote: "To Koreans, being sparing with words signaled gravitas, but to Americans, verbiage was an inherent good akin to kindness or courage. They loved words - the more, the longer, and more quickly said, the smarter and more impressive. Quietness, Americans seemed to equate with an empty mind - nothing to say, no thoughts worth hearing - or perhaps sullenness. Deceit, even."