Review: 4.5 STARS
I read Angie Kim’s novel, Miracle Creek, in the month of May for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. It was the choice for one of the buddy read/book clubs I’ve been participating in lately and what a great choice it was! I bought the book a bit blindly without reading the synopsis, so I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first picked it up. I was not disappointed in the least. There were many aspects of the novel that I thoroughly enjoyed.
If you are considering making this your next book club pick, here are some of my thoughts as well as some elements of the novel that would make great discussion points. At the end, you will find some discussion questions that you can use to take your discussions to the next level.
Plot
The book starts out by setting the scene for a family drama/mystery. One summer evening, an explosion destroys a family-owned special treatment center, a hyperbaric chamber, in the small town of Miracle Creek and kills two people (not a spoiler). The events leading up to and after the explosion are unraveled through multiple points of view of the witnesses and their families.
One of the book’s strongest assets in my opinion is the originality. It incorporates many topics that are both familiar and unfamiliar. You have your classic marriage hardships, motherhood struggles and who-done-it mystery that plays out in a courtroom setting. These are all encapsulated within a story about children with special needs and chronic illnesses, an immigrant family from Korea and a non-traditional medical treatment called Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). I have never encountered a story quite like this one before.
Characters
The characters were all well-drawn and convincing. The experiences of Korean immigrants living in the United States was written in a very compelling way as well. There were anecdotes and flashbacks that expressly told about what it was like to leave their country behind and build a new life, but there would also be small, subtle nods throughout the book to the reality of living in a foreign country.
Having characters from different backgrounds also made for an interesting contrast in beliefs and attitudes about life. There were many cases where the characters had to walk a thin line between right and wrong. These conflicts made them feel so human and relatable. By the end, you will find yourself having sided with and turned against all of the characters at some point throughout the book.
Writing Style
As previously mentioned, the story is told through multiple POV’s. I understand that this style is not everyone’s cup of tea, but I really thought that it was conducive to the storyline. Through this writing style, Kim gives readers a little piece the story at a time and keeps you guessing the whole way. I think it also helped keep the pacing of the story consistent and free of any major lulls. I loved the way it unfolded perfectly and did not give away too much at one time but just enough to keep you turning the pages.
I was also very impressed by the court scene writing. It seemed very realistic to me and compared to other courtroom dramas I have read, this one was by far one of the most captivating. I was not at all surprised to later discover that the author had gone to law school and worked as a litigator for many years before writing this book.
Discussion Questions
Having run a book club for over a year, I have learned that the best discussion questions are ones that are spoiler-free! This allows everyone to join into the discussion even if they have not finished reading the book. This is a great way to encourage greater turnouts to your meetings. That being said, here are some sample spoiler-free discussion questions you can use for your next Miracle Creek discussion:
- Which of the Miracle Creek characters would you most want to be stuck in quarantine with? Which of the characters would you least want to be stuck in quarantine with?
- Who did you first think set the fire? Did your guess stay the same throughout the entire book or did it change?
- What did you first think of when you heard the title Miracle Creek? What do you think of the original title Miracle Submarine? Which one do you think fits the novel better?
- How did you feel about the multiple POV’s used throughout the book? Did you feel it was conducive to the story or would you have rather have read it from a single perspective?
- In your opinion, does this novel have an antagonist? If yes, who do you think it is?
- Did you enjoy the court room scenes? What did you think of the use of charts and visuals?
- What is one new thing you learned while reading Miracle Creek?
- Did you think the book explored the challenges of autism well? What is the most important role do you think this topic plays in the overall storyline?
