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alicelalicon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Car accident, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Ableism, Alcohol, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Toxic friendship, Blood, Child death, Death, Racism, Sexual assault, and Suicide
Minor: Excrement
annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
hot take, i'm not that big a fan of Shakespeare because so many of his plots (at least, his tragedies) are like, if any one thing in this series of unfortunate events had gone differently then we wouldn't be in these tragic circumstances, except the series of unfortunate events is ridiculous and arbitrary. best example: in Hamlet (spoilers), when Hamlet stabs and kills Polonius, who was eavesdropping behind a curtain, because Hamlet thought he heard a rat. that's just undeniably stupid for a major plot point. Miracle Creek has the same concept—if anything had gone differently we could have avoided tragedy—but pulls it off expertly. Shakespeare could never??
could this be considered southern gothic? it's set in Virginia, nearly everyone is a grotesque character, and there's some truly disturbing content, plus themes of racism, sexism, and poverty.
this review has been completely shaped by my English class experience
cover design review: ★★★★½. love the colors, the scenery, and the burn holes, but it starts to feel crowded with the addition of glitter and stars. not a big fan of the typeface, makes me think of Papyrus 😬
Graphic: Death of parent, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Medical content, Medical trauma, Ableism, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Chronic illness, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Child abuse, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Rape
Moderate: Abandonment, Cursing, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Confinement, Excrement, Alcohol, Blood, Car accident, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Cancer, Forced institutionalization, Bullying, Stalking, and Vomit
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Rating: 4/5 stars (boosted 0.5 stars from my original rating)
Told through the frame of a murder trial, Miracle Creek is a literary courtroom mystery centered on the fallout from an explosion and fire at “Miracle Submarine,” a hyperbaric oxygen treatment center owned by a Korean immigrant family and primarily catering to children with special needs. The mother of one of the patients stands accused of murdering her son…but everyone has secrets, and the trial just may reveal them all.
I generally shy away from courtroom thrillers because, frankly, they’re rarely well-done or realistic, and, as a lawyer, they can be downright painful to read. Fortunately, Miracle Creek is written by a former trial attorney, and the courtroom scenes are realistic, riveting, and the absolute best I’ve come across in a book to date. This second read managed to impress me even more, because the many heartbreaking but beautiful moments of the narrative really shone through on a reread, including insights into the immigrant experience, parenthood, and surviving trauma.
I want to flag that this is by no means an easy read, and you should absolutely check content warnings before diving in. But it is memorable and beautifully written, and I’m so glad I read it twice.
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: courtroom dramas; first generation immigrant stories; literary thrillers.
CW: Ableism; child abuse; child death; murder; fire/fire injury; sexual assault, suicide.
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Grief, Infertility, Infidelity, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Ableism, and Adult/minor relationship
darthizzy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, Sexual assault, and Ableism
Moderate: Infertility, Suicide, and Cursing
Minor: Car accident
peeshpish's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Suicide, Child abuse, Ableism, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Toxic friendship
Minor: Vomit and Addiction
professorbadger's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Other than that, though … I found it well written but a little dull. The characters were complex and the plot was complicated, so in theory it should have been great. But it felt like a slow read all the same. I would definitely try another book by the same author, though.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Murder, and Suicide
Moderate: Child abuse and Sexual assault
kry_yang's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
And ohhhhh my godddd this book was INSANE. There were several points who I couldn't stop reading, and at the same time there were chapters that I had to pause because I couldn't possibly stomach what was going on. (TBH there's a ton of really triggering content in this book and I would def check out the trigger warnings before reading because this shit is HEAVY.)
The story touches upon immigration narratives, disability, and parenting. I kinda expected more analysis on Asian-American-ness (it's one of the main reasons I was drawn to the book in the first place). Knocking off 0.5 stars because I honestly found the Yoo family kind of disappointing. I have really high expectations when it comes to fiction that explores ASAM issues, and I felt that some of the backstories of the Korean-American characters felt a bit one-dimensional and cookie-cutter.
The other characters though--Elizabeth specifically--oh my god they ripped by heart out. Elizabeth's story is an incredible exploration of motherhood, and the incredible sacrifices that come with raising a neurodivergent child. Kim really does not hold back; she really digs into the psyches of her characters, and while some characters felt more compelling than others, the book overall was just an incredible(ly difficult) read.
Overall, I'd say this is book shines for its analysis and exploration of disability and parenting--and while POC/immigration/ASAM issues are definitely one aspect of the story, I didn't find that to be the most compelling part of the book.
Kim's language is also relatively straightforward--she does have some more lyrical sentences towards the ends of each chapter, but I found the language really accessible. I almost wish Kim wrote with a bit more *flowery* prose, just to make me ache even more :')
Miracle Creek is a "whodunnit" courtroom drama, blended with a slow-burn character exploration that really digs into each character's backstory and personality. I flew through this book in like 3-4 days and I look forward to reading more from Angie Kim in the future!
Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Cursing, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Suicide
cryptogay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Miracle Creek covers a lot of complicated territory. Much of this concerns the experimental medical treatments used on disabled children, especially autistic children. I don't think it handles this aspect of its story very well. A group of protesters against the medicalization of autism are portrayed as unpleasant, invasive, and aggressive. The parents of the autistic children directly involved in the story are written about with compassion despite one of them being revealed to be seriously physically and emotionally abusive to her son, even without getting into the various therapies she sends him to in attempts to "cure" his autism. In contrast, the autistic characters are never really given a voice. Yes, the two featured in the book are children, but autistic adults exist, and quite frankly make up the majority of the movements against the abusive "therapies" that are used on autistic people, primarily children. The fact that no autistic adults ever appear, and the two characters who actually openly speak about these treatments as abuse barely appear and are largely discredited, these things tilt the book towards endorsing this abuse, or at least parts of it. I don't know what Kim's intentions or feelings were with regard to this aspect of the story, but it really wasn't handled well.
Autism isn't a disease or an illness, its a brain structure, and it varies from person to person. It is not something that can be "cured", and it is not caused by vaccines. The therapies that claim to cure or treat autism vary from complete bunk to abuse and manipulation, and acting like they aren't these things is harmful to the children forced to undergo them.
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Grief, Medical content, Murder, Racism, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Car accident, Confinement, Excrement, Infertility, Physical abuse, Stalking, Violence, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts
sglance9's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Sexual assault, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Infertility, Infidelity, and Suicide
vgdavies03's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Grief, Child death, and Adult/minor relationship