Is anyone telling the truth?

Pak and Young You and their teenage daughter Mary are Korean immigrants living in Virginia. They operate The Miracle Submarine, a hyperbaric chamber that people use for various medical treatments. Several of the customers are mothers of children with special needs who are hoping for a miracle cure or an improvement in the condition. Tragically, the chamber explodes and two people are killed. One of the mothers is prosecuted and stands trial for murder.

“He looked for Mary in court. He wanted to see her. Well, not wanted, exactly. More like needed. The way you don’t exactly want a root canal, but you need to get the rot out, stop the pain.”

“The courthouse was in Pineberg, the town next to Miracle Creek. It was strange, the names – the opposite of what you’d expect. Miracle Creek didn’t look like a place where miracles took place, unless you counted the miracle of people living there for years without going inane from boredom.”

Quotes from the book.

• Washington Independent Review of Books: In the end, Miracle Creek proves to be not so much a whodunit as an existential reflection on the choices people make — or don’t make — and the ripples those choices send through others’ lives to miraculous, often devastating effect.
• Kirkus: Intricate plotting and courtroom theatrics, combined with moving insight into parenting special needs children and the psychology of immigrants, make this book both a learning experience and a page-turner. Should be huge.

Author website: Angie Kim