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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
Very well written story that keeps you engaged (and guessing!) until the end. There are a lot of main characters, but the author does a great job of developing each of them so it isn’t overwhelming to the reader. She also has this amazing ability to put the reader in the character’s mindset (in third person no less), allowing the story to flow between the various perspectives. Highly recommend!
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Miracle Creek introduit les Yoo, une famille immigrée de la Corée du Sud, qui est propriétaire de Miracle Submarine, un centre de médecine ou d'oxygénothérapie hyperbare ("HBOT therapy"). Cette thérapie est censée traiter des maladies et troubles comme l'autisme, des formes de paralysie, l'infertilité, etc. La chambre à pression utilisée à cette fin a malheureusement pris feu et à causé des décès et handicaps. L'histoire tourne donc autour du procès résultant de cet incendie.
Je pense que si j'avais lu ce livre à un autre moment de ma vie, je ne pense pas qu'il m'aurait autant impacté. Ce livre n'est pas parfait, il était par exemple très lent au début et j'ai failli l'abandonner. Je suis cependant fière de ne pas l'avoir fait parce que les sujets différents délicats abordés m'ont beaucoup touchés. Ceux qui m'ont fait le plus réfléchir sont ceux concernant les relations mère-enfant et plus particulièrement mère-enfant avec un handicap.
Je pense que si j'avais lu ce livre à un autre moment de ma vie, je ne pense pas qu'il m'aurait autant impacté. Ce livre n'est pas parfait, il était par exemple très lent au début et j'ai failli l'abandonner. Je suis cependant fière de ne pas l'avoir fait parce que les sujets différents délicats abordés m'ont beaucoup touchés. Ceux qui m'ont fait le plus réfléchir sont ceux concernant les relations mère-enfant et plus particulièrement mère-enfant avec un handicap.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Xenophobia, Grief, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury
I got this in a blind date with a book from B&N and it LIVED UP to the expectations.
One thing that drew me to this blind date w/ a book was written on the wrapping. It was “realistically flaws characters” and WHAT a truthful thing.
this is a mystery that turns into a well constructed web of emotions and actions that led to a true disaster.
in each characters POV we see why they feel how they do and why they do what they do, and even if they TRY to justify their own actions, it doesn’t change the clarity of what they did and the author clearly doesn’t mean to ACTUALLY justify the acts.
it gets so sad and so realistic, even in the ways that many people don’t want to admit to feeling or thinking because of shame and guilt associated with them.
One thing that drew me to this blind date w/ a book was written on the wrapping. It was “realistically flaws characters” and WHAT a truthful thing.
this is a mystery that turns into a well constructed web of emotions and actions that led to a true disaster.
in each characters POV we see why they feel how they do and why they do what they do, and even if they TRY to justify their own actions, it doesn’t change the clarity of what they did and the author clearly doesn’t mean to ACTUALLY justify the acts.
it gets so sad and so realistic, even in the ways that many people don’t want to admit to feeling or thinking because of shame and guilt associated with them.
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I feel like I should have liked this book much more than I did. In some ways I do understand why others give it 4 and 5 stars, but, maybe because I read it off and on over a four month period, I didn’t find it as suspenseful as I thought I would have, and I had a hard time really connecting with any of the characters. That being said, I do think it was a well written and interesting plot, so please don’t let my review prevent you from reading it!
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is crushing. Poverty, racism, sexism, disababled kids, child abuse, exhausted parents, grooming, sexual assault and suicide.
Everyone in this story is harmed and harms others. Everyone is lying but somehow.... Almost everyone actually has the best of intentions. This will also really, really make you think about ehat is "medical treatment" and what is "disability".
Everyone in this story is harmed and harms others. Everyone is lying but somehow.... Almost everyone actually has the best of intentions. This will also really, really make you think about ehat is "medical treatment" and what is "disability".
Reminded me of Celeste Ng because it weaves domestic threads in with mystery and courtroom drama. More literary fiction should play with mystery like this. A very promising debut.
4.25 stars. I liked this. It felt a little too long and while the pace was slower, it was steady. An impressive debut novel for sure and I liked how it was lightly philosophical and covers several issues (immigration, autism, Korean culture, alternative medicine, parents of children with special needs) that frequently challenged me to consider my beliefs/perspective/privilege. For example, a sub theme revolves around autism and whether it is wrong to try to “cure” a child’s autism with treatments of any kind. I also appreciated another book bringing me into Korean-American families and their cultures and practices (and prejudices). I also appreciated seeing both the mother and daughters perspective and experience as the mother worked tirelessly at a store from 6am to midnight (which forced her to effectually abandon her daughter during difficult and formative years).
SUMMARY: Korean family opens an alternative treatment facility (using pressurized oxygen) in a small town about an hour from DC (Miracle Creek). A fire happens that kills and injured some of the patients.
The book primarily investigates who is responsible: were they owners trying to cash in on insurance? Was it the protestors? Was it a mother of a child patient who was suspected of child abuse? Was it the angry teen child of the owners? Was it the unhappy wife of a patient who felt trapped in a marriage she didn’t want?
As the story unfolds more hidden secrets come out raising more suspicions. For example, hidden “drug” abuse, an affair, an inappropriate relationship between an adult and a 17 yo, parental neglect, mental health and the stress of caring for a child with extensive special needs, controversy around alternative treatments, “mean girls” or more accurately “mean moms”.
Overall (and maybe this is a spoiler?) it’s a story about how many seemingly innocuous little things lead to big events and unintended consequences.
The audio version has an interview with the author at the end that’s great! (It boosted my rating to a 4.25 from a 4 when I leaned some of the backstory that ultimately enhanced my understanding and reading experience)
SUMMARY: Korean family opens an alternative treatment facility (using pressurized oxygen) in a small town about an hour from DC (Miracle Creek). A fire happens that kills and injured some of the patients.
The book primarily investigates who is responsible: were they owners trying to cash in on insurance? Was it the protestors? Was it a mother of a child patient who was suspected of child abuse? Was it the angry teen child of the owners? Was it the unhappy wife of a patient who felt trapped in a marriage she didn’t want?
As the story unfolds more hidden secrets come out raising more suspicions. For example, hidden “drug” abuse, an affair, an inappropriate relationship between an adult and a 17 yo, parental neglect, mental health and the stress of caring for a child with extensive special needs, controversy around alternative treatments, “mean girls” or more accurately “mean moms”.
Overall (and maybe this is a spoiler?) it’s a story about how many seemingly innocuous little things lead to big events and unintended consequences.
The audio version has an interview with the author at the end that’s great! (It boosted my rating to a 4.25 from a 4 when I leaned some of the backstory that ultimately enhanced my understanding and reading experience)
Summary: For several families, hope lies in a blue hyperbaric chamber. The owner of the device, Pak Yoo, brought his wife and teenage daughter from South Korea in search of a better life. He promotes the hyperbaric chamber as a treatment for a variety of conditions ranging from autism to impotence.
When a deliberately set fire kills two of the children, suspicion initially falls on a group of protestors. But the police arrest Elizabeth, the mother of one of the victims. As the novel progresses, it is clear that the case isn’t quite as simple as the prosecution portrays.
Comments: Miracle Creek is an astonishingly complex and insightful novel. The author employs omnicient narration to peer deeply into the lives and motivations of everyone involved with the hyperbaric chamber. While the story line is centered around Elizabeth’s trial, the author skillfully weaves in the various events that lead to the fire. The reader’s sympathies and emotions are pulled in various directions as evidence unfolds.
Because the author is also a Korean immigrant, she is able to write with deep understanding about the experience the Yoo family had in coming to America. I found this part of the story particularly enlightening.
Highly recommended for readers of general fiction, multicultural fiction, legal fiction and mysteries.
When a deliberately set fire kills two of the children, suspicion initially falls on a group of protestors. But the police arrest Elizabeth, the mother of one of the victims. As the novel progresses, it is clear that the case isn’t quite as simple as the prosecution portrays.
Comments: Miracle Creek is an astonishingly complex and insightful novel. The author employs omnicient narration to peer deeply into the lives and motivations of everyone involved with the hyperbaric chamber. While the story line is centered around Elizabeth’s trial, the author skillfully weaves in the various events that lead to the fire. The reader’s sympathies and emotions are pulled in various directions as evidence unfolds.
Because the author is also a Korean immigrant, she is able to write with deep understanding about the experience the Yoo family had in coming to America. I found this part of the story particularly enlightening.
Highly recommended for readers of general fiction, multicultural fiction, legal fiction and mysteries.