Name: Miracle Creek
ISBN: 9781529335415

Angie Kim

A Novel

Miracle Creek

Laura Wilson

But she'd lived the last year in perpetual sadness, remembering Pak's screams in the hospital burn unit and imagining a future without functioning limbs, and hearing about it no longer affected her. Like those frogs that get so used to hot water, they stay in the boiling pot. She'd got- ten used to tragedy, become numb to it.

It was why all the studies showed that rich, successful people who should be the happiest - CEOs, lottery winners Olympic Champions weren’t, in fact, the happiest, and why the poor and disabled weren't necessarily the most depressed: you got used to your life, whatever accomplishments and troubles it happened to hold, and adjusted your expectations accordingly.

A thrilling debut novel for fans of Liane Moriarty and Celeste Ng 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 page-turner and an excavation of identity and the desire for connection, Miracle Creek is a brilliant, empathetic debut from an exciting new voice.

Geetika 

jennifer 

multifaceted and intersectional in covering the mixed emotions that comes with caring for people with disabilities and Asian identity.

Jule

Die Familie Yoo möchte sich durch eine kontroverse Therapieform, der Hyperbaren Oxygenierung (HBO), in Miracle Creek ein Leben aufbauen. Bei dieser Behandlung wird den Patienten reiner Sauerstoff verabreicht. Patienten dieser Therapie sind vor allem Kinder mit speziellen Bedürfnissen und die sich auf dem Autismus-Spektrum wiederfinden. Durch eine vermeintlich vorsätzlich verursachte Brandstiftung sterben 2 der Patienten während eines Behandlungsdurchganges und wir finden uns vor Gericht wieder, wo versucht wird jemandem dieses Unheil anzuhängen.

Miracle Creek ist etwas für dich, wenn du Gerichtsdramen magst, gerne mysteriöse Romane verfolgst, mehr über Frauenthemen und dessen Stand in der Gesellschaft lesen möchtest, und dich Erzählungen über Migration und dessen Folgen ansprechen.

Angie Kim ist unheimlich gut darin all diese an sich schon komplexen Themen ineinander zu verweben, woraus ein noch strukturierteres Geflecht an Vorfällen, Beziehungen und Folgen gewebt wird. Mir gefiel die literarische Darstellung von potentiellen Situationen ganz nach dem Butterfly-Effekt. Das Buch handelt nicht von Gut oder Böse, sondern von der Komplexität des Lebens und der Menschlichkeit; wie viele kleine Dinge einen großen Effekt auf unsere Zukunft haben können und wie doch vieles miteinander zusammenhängt, ohne dass wir es wissen.

Lisa Lindquist 

WINNER OF THE EDGAR AWARD FOR BEST FIRST NOVEL The “gripping... page-turner” (Time) hitting all the best of summer reading lists, Miracle Creek is perfect for book clubs and fans of Liane Moriarty and Celeste Ng How far will you go to protect your family? Will you keep their secrets? Ignore their lies? In a small town in Virginia, a group of people know each other because they’re part of a special treatment center, a hyperbaric chamber that may cure a range of conditions from infertility to autism. But then the chamber explodes, two people die, and it’s clear the explosion wasn’t an accident. A powerful showdown unfolds as the story moves across characters who are all maybe keeping secrets, hiding betrayals. Chapter by chapter, we shift alliances and gather evidence: Was it the careless mother of a patient? Was it the owners, hoping to cash in on a big insurance payment and send their daughter to college? Could it have been a protester, trying to prove the treatment isn’t safe? “A stunning debut about parents, children and the unwavering hope of a better life, even when all hope seems lost" (Washington Post), Miracle Creek uncovers the worst prejudice and best intentions, tense rivalries and the challenges of parenting a child with special needs. It’s “a quick-paced murder mystery that plumbs the power and perils of community” (O Magazine) as it carefully pieces together the tense atmosphere of a courtroom drama and the complexities of life as an immigrant family. Drawing on the author’s own experiences as a Korean-American, former trial lawyer, and mother of a “miracle submarine” patient, this is a novel steeped in suspense and igniting discussion. Recommended by Erin Morgenstern, Jean Kwok, Jennifer Weiner, Scott Turow, Laura Lippman, and more-- Miracle Creek is a brave, moving debut from an unforgettable new voice.

While I took way too long to read this book, I really enjoyed it. You can really feel the internal and external struggles of the characters whom, while far from perfect, I still mostly liked (except for Matt and Janine, they belong together). Who dun it books are usually not my jam but the uniqueness of this book drew me in and while I think many people may be able to predict how it’s going to go, I did not.

Cheri McElroy

This was a surprising read for me. I enjoyed the courtroom thriller aspect, and felt for many of the people involved in this tragedy. It was very thought provoking as I was reminded that small decisions can have far-reaching consequences.

courtney garrison

So this isn’t the review I expected to write for this book honestly. I started out with mixed feelings and it just surprisingly continued down hill from there. 
I do want to say I appreciate the raw honesty in some of the characters flaws, but at the same time some of the things they said about autism and disabilities were just....wow. 
So trigger warnings for that along with death, a child’s death(very descriptive), suicide, sexual assault, ptsd.
There were several scenes that felt like they repeated over just from different points of view which I felt was really unnecessary (I honestly just hate this in books, so it’s a preference thing). I loved the court room drama and finding out what happened, it just felt drug out towards the end and I had to push myself to finish when honestly I should have just dnf’d. 
Overall if you can handle the triggers I mention above and you get into mystery court room drama type books then this is probably right up your alley. Sadly this just wasn’t what I expected when I picked it up.

雪 xue

meh.. the writing style is really expository and underwhelming :/ i guess the representation of neurodivergent parenting was complex enough and interesting. tbh it’s an overrated novel that got a lot of hype (so much?!?!?!?!) bc the content contains wacky experimental treatments, korean american diaspora trauma, the thrill of court action & the novelty of neurodivergent parenting. the plot would probably make for a good tv show, but the book itself wasn't remarkable

Antje

Wie viele Geheimnisse kann ein Mensch ertragen? Wann verstrickt man sich dermaßen in den eigenen Lügen, die erst klein und bedeutungslos erschienen, und auch aus denen es am Ende kein Entrinnen mehr gibt? Angie Kim geht in ihrem Debütroman „Miracle Creek“ dieser Frage nach. Auf 507 Seiten nimmt sie die Tragödie der Kleinstadt Miracle Creek auseinander: In einer Scheune explodiert ein Sauerstofftank. Zwei Menschen sterben, drei werden so schwer verletzt, dass sie ihr restliches Leben noch Narben davontragen werden. Doch was ist schlimmer, die vernarbte Haut, die jeder sehen kann oder die verborgenen Gefühle, die niemand ahnt?
In einem Gerichtsprozess um die Hauptverdächtige folgen wir der Rekonstruktion der Geschehnisse an diesem schicksalhaften Tag im Sommer 2008. Vieles scheint anfänglich klar, doch je mehr wir hinter die Fassade der einzelnen Beteiligten schauen, desto klarer wird: Nichts ist so wie es scheint. 
Young und Pak Yoo kamen aus Südkorea in die USA, um sich dort ein besseres Leben aufzubauen und ihrer Tochter Mary eine gute Ausbildung zu ermöglichen. All ihr Erspartes steckten sie in den Aufbau einer Sauerstofftherapieanlage, die sie liebevoll „Miracle Submarine“ nennen, auch weil es wie ein gestrandetes U-Boot in einer Scheune wirkt, aber bei seinen Patient*innen kleine Wunder vollbringen kann. Aber als dann das Unglück geschieht, ist lange nicht klar, ob es Brandstiftung oder ein Unfall war. Eine Schuldige ist schnell gefunden, viele Indizien ergeben ein scheinbar klares Bild. Aber war es wirklich so? Kann man die Wahrheit nicht etwas dehnen, damit das eigene Schicksal möglichst glimpflich davonkommt? Welche Opfer muss man bringen? Wer ist hier überhaupt Opfer und wer nicht?
Angie Kim wirft in ihrem Gerichts- und Familiendrama viele dieser Fragen auf. Wie weit würde ich gehen, um meine Familie, meine Lieben, mein eigenes Leben zu retten? Was kann passieren, wenn wir das Vertrauen ineinander verlieren und uns nichts mehr anvertrauen? Packend erzählt sie den Prozess und die Erinnerungen an den schicksalhaften Sommer, jedes Kapitel aus der Perspektive einer anderen beteiligten Person. Langsam ergibt sich so ein ganz anderes Bild. Leider verliert das Buch zum Ende hin ein wenig an Zugkraft und verheddert sich in den Irrungen und Wirrungen der Protagonisten, was es mir schwer machte ihren Gedanken und Erinnerungen zu folgen. Auch die Auflösung fand ich nicht wirklich nachvollziehbar und leider etwas zu flach. Da hatte ich mehr erwartet. Schade! Trotzdem ein lesenswertes Buch – ein richtig spannender Schmöker, in den man wunderbar abtauchen kann.

Flavia Louise

Ok so I was ultimately a bit disappointed in this.

Brian Walborn

Miracle Creek by Angie Kim was my top book choice of 2019. Rarely have I read an author whose characters vibrate with life on the written page. The novel begins with a tragedy that ultimately serves as a character study on family dynamics and the struggles found therein. Kim's characters seem so true and realized and stay this way throughout the novel as it powers toward its heartbreaking conclusion. Miracle Creek was utterly devastating in its sheer beauty. An author to follow for sure.
If you missed this one, do yourself a favor and check this out- you will not be disappointed.

Imie Kent-Muller

This book was one I requested on an impulse through work after seeing a review quote by Erin Morgenstern (who you may be aware is my favourite author) saying: ‘I literally couldn't put it down. It's that wonderful, brilliant sort of book you want to shove at other people as you've finished so they can experience it for themselves.’ I immediately requested one and the book lives up to that fabulous review. Thank you Hodder for sending this! 

Miracle Creek centres in on a trial where a mother is accused of murdering her autistic son and another woman by setting a fire whilst he is getting a treatment in an experimental facility known as ‘miracle submarine’ which is run by a family that immigrated to the town from Korea. The trial focuses in on these two sets, along with the patients and parents who were present that day. The story twists and turns leaving you aghast at the result!

At its core, Miracle Creek is a story about how far people will go for family, secrets, guilt, and the lives of the people who care for their ill children. It is heart wrenching, shocking, and absolutely brilliant. Kim wrote about the illnesses with sensitivity, the parental side was filled with emotion, and she sounds like she has knowledge about medical treatments (but I am someone with no knowledge so correct me if I'm wrong). I haven't read a thriller in a long time that has as much emotion in the story as Miracle Creek does. You learn as the characters learn, you find out some of the accounts are actually semi-unreliable, and you watch as the secrets begin to unravel.

If you're looking for a thriller that is about the characters, but with an excellent story then look no further. Miracle Creek is beautifully disturbing and will make you question your own thoughts. Absolutely wonderful!

daisy

Jen Estrella

In a way, he supposed, it was inevitable for immigrants to become child versions of themselves, stripped of their verbal fluency and, with it, a layer of their competence and maturity.

Wow. Still not sure if I should rate this 4.5 or 5, not that the rating would make much of a difference. I really enjoyed this. This might not be as thrilling as The Silent Patient, but my god my emotions. This hits so close to home and actually reminds me of Celeste Ng's Everything I Never Told You, with an added layer of complexity (i.e., immigration). 

The use of multiple narrators worked quite well, I think. I particularly liked Young's character development. I hated her at first but thought the change in her words and actions at the very end were powerful. I did not particularly enjoy the ending for one of the characters. I was a little tempted to change my rating to four stars after having read this part, but then I read this scene:

(view spoiler)[Young reached to wipe away Mary's tears. "That's why you kept saying how quiet it was. You kept repeating it after you woke up, and the doctors thought you were reliving the explosion, but that wasn't it at all. You were wondering how people could have been inside and the oxygen on when everything was off. You didn't know the power outage." - I was so struck by this, because I never understood why Mary was so affected by just seeing the fire. How can she experience more trauma than everyone else? This scene explained that perfectly. (hide spoiler)]

Annalee Harris

A heartbreaking, thought-provoking look into what people are willing to do to for a miracle, Miracle Creek is definitely worth the read.

The topic of autism is always a hot one, and a lot of the content presented in this novel is upsetting. No definitive arguments are made for whether or not autism can be "caused" or whether it can be "fixed", but reading how children with autism are abused or the lengths people will go for what they think might be a quick fix is just sad.

Anyway, while the novel didn't pan out the way I hoped, it was realistic, believable, and honest. Miracle Creek is a reflection of our current culture, obsessions, misinformation, and hope.

Michelle Xu

Semi-spoiler 
  PSA
 regarding "treatments" used for Autism in the novel, PLEASE READ if you have read the novel or don't mind being mildly spoiled regarding one tiny part of the trial (the spoiler parts will be marked):
Vaccines do not cause autism.  The original author of that research paper has HAD HIS MEDICAL LICENSE REVOKED due to the inaccuracies and poor standards used in his paper. Moreover, the treatments Elizabeth used in the book, and that Shannon Huag had defended in court, (view spoiler)[chelation therapy and chlorine dioxide mixture, (hide spoiler)] are DANGEROUS and not proven in any way to "heal" children on the spectrum. They have caused numerous deaths. (view spoiler)[ Moreover, Shannon defended the use of chelation therapy to remove thimerosal from Henry's body.  (hide spoiler)] Thimerosal is a mercury compound (found in fish) used as a preservative to stabilize and prevent fungal growth in vaccines. Numerous studies have also shown that it is not linked to autism in anyway. Moreover, it was replaced by another preservative in the majority of vaccines such as the MMR vaccine starting in 1999. The only vaccine that now uses thimerosal includes some flu vaccines. Its dose in incredibly low and we are able to clear it from our bodies without any problems (think of eating tuna...). (view spoiler)[ Moreover, Shannon also stated that chlorine dioxide was not bleach and that it was used to purify drinking water. While that is true, she is also incredibly wrong to assume it's not dangerous at all. It's properties are tied to the amount and concentration used. It is also considered a bleach, used to bleach wood and paper as well as disinfect surfaces. It is used widely as a way to chlorinate and disinfect drinking water; however, this is at a much lower concentration. It's also monitored to have a strict cut off for safety. The fact that Henry was puking and suffering stomach pains from the version Elizabeth made, shows that it is NOT the standard amount of chlorine dioxide used for "purification of water" as Shannon had stated.  (hide spoiler)] Please do NOT do either of these things to treat yourself or others. 
Sources: Me - I'm a med student, my lectures, my textbooks, the CDC, really, just Google it.

Ok now onto my review...

Rating: Somewhere between a 4.5 and 5 stars. 

I feel like, overall, it's a 5-star book, but there's specifically ONE scene that really bothered me that I wish the author addressed prior to the ending. I do think that it's a niche thing that would really only bother me, so I'm leaving my star rating at a 5 on Goodreads.

I have so many thoughts about this novel. I read it over the course of 18 days and kept an ongoing note on my phone with my thoughts throughout. However, I want to try to read it over the course of 2-3 days to see how I feel about the characters and plot when it's condensed and much fresher on my mind.

Let's first talk about all the positive things near-perfect novel: It really hooks you in from the moment you begin. I think almost every book that I've read this year has had a slow start that took me a third to half of the way in to really get into. But this book starts with a bang (lol literally), and you're thrown for loop after loop as you continue through the novel. It was fast-paced from the beginning but plot and character-wise which I feel like is rare. In most novels, it's either highly plot-driven or highly character-driven. This really felt like it was both. 

I enjoyed that the set up of the novel took place over the course of the four days of the trial. Moreover, each chapter was from a different perspective, rotating between seven characters. I normally would have felt overwhelmed or concerned that we wouldn't be able to connect with each character, but somehow the intimate nature of the crime and the hyper-focused view on those 4 days made it so manageable. Somehow with the time we spent with each character, you really understand their motivations, their past decisions, and their current feelings. At the same time the author was able to keep things JUST vague enough that as a reader, you're given small breadcrumbs leading up to the truth. I remember telling my boyfriend halfway through that I had no idea who the culprit was because everyone seemed innocent when we were in their POV. It left me trying to read between the lines and figure out if anything was worded in a particular way that could make it possible for that person to be the killer. 

I also thought it was interesting that the book never quite took a moral stand. It really did feel like there were two sides presenting their cases, and we were left to decide for ourselves whether diagnoses like being on the autism spectrum needs to be "cured," how far is too far, and whether naturopathic/homeopathic medicine was a valid and safe adjunctive therapy to the traditional methods.

A smaller, personal reason I enjoyed this novel was due to the fact that it took place outside DC, in northern VA. I'm also from that area so seeing places mentioned throughout the novel was kind of a treat. Despite Miracle Creek being a fictional town, I could basically imagine exactly where it would be outside Annandale, VA. I also enjoyed its references to Georgetown since I'm a med student there right now lol. I know the author is also from the area, so it makes sense why everything just felt so realistic about the setting. 

I really had a love-hate relationship with almost all the characters in the novel. Honestly, none of them are really good people. The only person I ended up rooting for in the end was Young. Everyone else was immensely morally gray and everyone did shady shit. I did, however, find that all pretty realistic. The family dynamics between the Yoo family was frustrating yet realistic as someone who also comes from an immigrant family who moved to the US at a young age. The power dynamic between Pak and Young was also so frustrating, yet... pretty standard in Asian cultures. I remember thinking that Janine was a bitch, and yet I also understood her mentality and way she went about things throughout the novel. I hated hater hated Elizabeth at first. I'm staunchly on the side of intensive speech therapy and occupational therapy, special education, social skills workshops, developmental psychologist meetings, etc. for those who have autism, but all those are ways to equip those with autism with the skills to navigate in a world that they just see differently. It's not to "cure" them. So listening to everything Elizabeth did was heartwrenching. And yet... I still just felt so sympathetic for her in the end. I straight-up hated Matt by the end lol so idk if there's anything to say there. I can go on and on, and while this may seem like a negative complaint, I actually thought it made the novel all the more intriguing. You know it's a good book when you feel yourself flip-flopping on your opinions about everyone and being able to understand where they were each coming from. 

Am I exactly happy with the ending and where each character ended up? No. But that doesn't detract any more from the book. (view spoiler)[I know that the one who “pulled the trigger” is the one responsible in the eyes of the law (except for police apparently), but I can’t help but feel awful that nothing happened to Matt and yet Mary got sent to prison.  (hide spoiler)] But, you know what, that shit is realistic. It's how the system works. (view spoiler)[ Mary would never be able to prove what Matt did to her actually happened. And in the end it wasn't him who set that fire.  (hide spoiler)] Real life doesn't always have a perfectly wrapped up ending and neither did this novel. But it felt real and raw, and honestly probably the only way it could have ended up. It didn't detract from the rest of the novel, only made everything even more heartbreaking (but in a good way you want some books to be).

The only reason I'm considering giving this 4.5 instead of 5 stars is essentially because of my PSA that I felt like I needed to write at the beginning. I don't mind Shannon using those arguments in court, but I felt it would have been the responsible thing for the author to have written a disclaimer at the end or had Abe counter Shannon's claims of Elizabeth's autism "treatments" with the real facts regarding (view spoiler)[ chelation and bleach drinking.  (hide spoiler)]

Original post:
Omg I finally finished. Wow just wow. 5 stars. 5 super uncomfortable heartbreaking stars. I’m gonna be thinking about this for a long while. Full review to come when it’s not 4am lol

Jeremy Anderberg

“Doing the right thing is not nothing.” 

Miracle Submarine, the fictional company at the center of the novel, operates a hyperbaric chamber that’s been set up to treat a number of conditions, from autism in kids to infertility in grown men. But the oxygen tanks, which fuel the sci-fi-looking contraption, are a known weak spot. One day, when things are behind schedule, one of the tubes catches fire, which turns into a fireball, and kills two of the sub’s occupants. It clearly was not an accident.

Was it the ever-present protesters? Was it one of the patients? Was it the owner himself, hoping to cash in on insurance money? At various points it seems like all conclusions are possible and that everyone is keeping secrets.

But it’s not all about the crime. For me, the most compelling parts of this superb novel were the potent and deeply honest portraits of the complicated emotions parents feel, whether their kids are “normal” or not. There’s always competition, there’s always the thought that the grass is greener for other parents, and there’s always some sense of shame or guilt about the wrong decisions you’re inevitably making—as Kim writes, “We all have thoughts that shame us.”

That said, the central murder mystery was really well done. Miracle Creek, at its heart, is indeed a crime novel. The setting is almost entirely the courtroom; as readers, we get the story in bits and pieces through witness testimony and lawyerly interviewing. Our certainties about whodunit change with almost every chapter, until you’re nearly breathless when you finally get the truth at the same time that our main characters do.

These hyperbaric chambers are real, and author Angie Kim actually has experience with them, which she mentions in a great interview at the end of my paperback edition. That first-hand knowledge must be what makes the novel so incredibly visceral; it’s raw and real and satisfying.

Ultimately, Kim’s debut novel delivers a powerful triad of a compelling and page-turning murder mystery, a humbling portrayal of the immigrant experience, and most powerfully, a thought-provoking meditation on parenthood and the lengths we’ll go to in order to protect the people closest to us.

Highly recommended for readers of all stripes. No matter your tastes, I think you’ll find something you like here.

Emily S

IN. CRED. IBLE. Would absolutely reread over and over. I just loved how you didn’t know what happened until the end, and maybe just maybe more than one person is guilty of more than one thing?

booksandanni 

Das Buch wird aus verschiedenen Perspektiven erzählt, hauptsächlich von jenen Personen, die am Brand (direkt) beteiligt waren: Elizabeth, Pak Yoo sowie seine Frau und Tochter oder Matt. Obwohl ich normalerweise kein großer Fan von vielen Perspektiven bin, hat es hier ganz und gar seinen Zweck erfüllt: Es hat nicht nur Puzzleteil für Puzzleteil enthüllt, was rund um den fatalen Brand geschehen ist, Angie Kim schafft es dadurch auch, dass man in den Kapiteln, ob selbst gewollt oder nicht, an die Wahrheit dessen glaubt, was die Personen erlebt haben oder Partei für sie ergreift, obwohl man möglicherweise noch wenige Seiten vorher davon überzeugt war, dass es anders ist. Seite für Seite enthüllen die Zeugenaussagen und Erinnerungen, was damals tatsächlich passiert ist - und doch bleibt bis fast zum Schluss offen, wer für den Brand wirklich verantwortlich war. 
Für mich blieben am Ende ein paar letzte Fragen offen, auch wenn mir gefallen hat, dass es nach allem, was geschehen ist, für die Figuren kein "Happy End" gibt, sondern nicht nur Strafen aus dem Rechtssystem, sondern auch Wunden, die nicht so schnell verheilen.

Mari

This book was definitely for the fans of Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. 

 Synopsis 
 This is a court drama following a cast of characters who all harbor secrets and one of them is on trial for murdering her own child in a fire. All the stories are connected and secrets get slowly revealed as the story progresses with each character harboring a motive for committing the crime. 

 My Thoughts  

This story is really good and I like that it took its time handling the situation and discussion matters. 
This book handled a lot of important topics that I feel don't usually get discussed in literary fiction like these. Instead of speaking on racism due to the Yoo's family being Korean, it instead talks about motherhood in regards to cerebral palsy and autism, and also the role of infertility in marriage. Apart from that, it also discusses family dynamics, how far one is willing to go for a lie, and how the court system works (i.e. what a lawyer and prosecutor decide to use and how). Though the story itself is really short it is a slow build, giving the reader time to learn about each character and their psyche. The story focuses entirely on the court with both sides being able to argue their points so clearly that deeply shows the writer's skills and her previous experience as a lawyer. 

However, there are three things that have irked me about this book and why it is not is a five-star read:
(1) For such a long book, there is a lack of discussion regarding a specific scene/event that happened midway through in Mary and Matt's storyline/point-of-view. I think that given what the scene is about sexual harassment, the reader gets little closure or discussion on the matter. It does feel like a plot device that is just there to motive Matt to keep going on with his lies and to delay the reveal until later. This really irks me because it is only slightly given closure at the end of the book (the epilogue), but without any actual repentance or acknowledgment of how it affected Mary as a person. 

(2) I wished we talked more about Elizabeth's story conclusion. The same thing with Point 1, I feel like it was just a plot device given that it is a very serious topic. Towards the end of the story, the book focused a lot more on the Yoo family, which makes sense if the author hasn't introduced certain topics and plot devices in an earlier chapter. So when the big reveal came, both Elizabeth's story conclusion and Point 1 were brushed aside to motivate the characters to end the book. Given that this book is over 300 pages long, a paragraph to discuss both Point 1 and this point seem sloppy. 

(3) Connecting the last two points, I feel like the story wrapped up too nicely. Yes, I like that justice was found but it still feels like we followed a big cast of characters, and suddenly, we only followed one. Given everything that happened in the last couple of chapters, I did wish that it wasn't all summarized in an epilogue and that it left a few strands hanging due to the situation and plot of the book. Also since certain things were introduced and not discussed, ending it without even a strong acknowledgment of them made me a bit upset. I tend to not like stories that wrap up too nicely anyways, but for me, it feels like the author ran out of stamina and just gave the ending in a pretty wrapped up box and a bow and completely ignored the mess it took to wrap it all up.

Diana

Words cannot express just how much I loved this book. The courtroom scenes were so well-written, thanks to Kim's legal background. Honestly, everything about this book was fantastic. If you're looking for a legal thriller that comes with a fascinating look into people's personal lives, this book is it. This book deals with some heavy topics, so please look up the trigger warnings if you're concerned about that.

Jacklyn O’Brien 

I wasn't sure I was going to give this 5 stars, but as I continued reading, I was eager to hear what happened next, and who truly set the fire. I felt anger towards some (a lot) of the characters. It was hard hearing how Elizabeth handled her autistic child, but interesting to hear her thought process. I felt the end nicely summed up everything. If it had ended differently (aka the way Pak wanted it to end) it would have been docked a star.

Chelsea White

It took awhile to get going for me (obviously given how long it took me to read it), but once the story picked up I couldn’t stop reading. There were tons of twists and turns that kept getting revealed over the course of the interrogations in the court and personal talks outside of it. When I started reading I was obviously convinced of Elizabeth or the protestor’s guilt, but as the book went on I questioned what I knew and questioned what was actually true. The final twist felt shocking but also inevitable once it was revealed.

Miracle Creek A Novel

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