Miracle Creek

A Novel

By: Angie Kim

Narrated by: Jennifer Lim

This program includes a bonus interview with the author and original music composed and performed by Steve Draughn.

A thrilling debut 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.

Critic reviews

"This impressive debut is enhanced by the talented [Jennifer] Lim." -AudioFile Magazine Editors' Pick

Fell Short

I think the real premise of this book was allowing people to understand the thoughts and feelings of parents of special needs kids and immigrants. Since that wouldn't make an interesting book to read, they threw in a fire, death and a whodunit story that just didn't cut it

Fabulous Listen

As complex as this plot is, Kim keeps all the threads untangled masterfully. While the narration suited the story, the reader sounded like they had a fresh cold or sever allergies.

Brilliantly written!

So much to unpack and discuss at book club! I couldn't stop listening, but didn't want it to end.

A Profound, Riveting Debut

If you're looking for a novel with a palpable mystery and a totally original storyline, you've found it. Told from the aspects of seven very human, very flawed characters, you'll find your allegiance vacillating as you try to figure out not only WHO did it, but WHY they did it.

Kim offers up multiple timely topics including Autism, infertility, and immigration among others (I don't want to give anything away) with a deft, empathetic hand. A fantastic multi-faceted character study on what it means to be willing to try anything to "fix" diagnoses and how a person can become embroiled in lies big and small. Different versions of parenthood and marriage examined beneath the uncomfortable scrutiny of a very revealing magnifying glass.

There are parts if this book SO well written, it's tough to read them. The writing is succinct, spot-on ~ Angie Kim is a wordsmith, evoking lines so beautiful, so true, so painfully raw.

I could not stop listening to this novel, couldn't wait to hear each next chapter. I promise, when you finish, you'll need to discuss many aspects of this provocative story.

Packs a punch

Wow, there is SO much going on in this story, and the author is successful in keeping it all tied together. The issues and subplots include 1) the experience of being a Korean immigrant 2) the challenges of parenting a special needs child 3) courtroom drama and the manipulation of evidence by attorneys 4) the philosophical question of "what if...." This is such a layered narrative. My only reservation was the author's use of over-long dialogue sequences where the characters disclose/explain/reveal their thoughts and actions; it seemed unrealistic. Apart from that, it's an excellent book with good narration.