“Miracle Creek” by Angie Kim – The Impossible Absolute Truth

Angie Kim has announced in style her debut as an author by publishing an instant national bestseller with her first ever novel, Miracle Creek.

In it, we follow from multiple perspectives an investigation into the explosion of a hyperbaric chamber which seemed like it was caused on purpose.

From the owners themselves to a disgruntled protester, many people had the opportunity and motive to commit the crime in search of their own better future, but in the end the truth is singular... or is it?

Angie Kim Opens a Trial for the Ages

Despite all the opportunities for corruption they present, I think the majority of us are happy courts of law exist and have allowed us to move on from the days of the Wild West.

Generally-speaking, we can trust them to make the correct judgment in any given case, but as Angie Kim adeptly points it out in her debut novel Miracle Creek, the truth of men can be malleable to an exceptional degree, even before the (mostly) all-seeing eye of the law.

Transporting us to a small town in Virginia, the story begins when a hyperbaric chamber, owned by Korean immigrants Young and Pak and used to treat various conditions, explodes and kills two people inside.

The victims are Kitt, the mother of an autistic child, and Henry, also an autistic child himself. The investigation didn't seem like it took very long, only a year, and soon an accused stands before the trial: Henry's own mother, Elizabeth.

From there on out, we bear witness to a trial which lasts a few days and experience the events which led up to the catastrophe from seven different points of view.

Though at first it seems as if things are fairly clear cut, the longer the ordeal continues, the more it becomes apparent the truth is more a matter of presentation and interpretation rather than anything else.

In a small community where everyone seemingly has something to hide from everyone else, not a single outcome is guaranteed anymore, and no matter the verdict, the ramifications of the trial promise to be far-reaching.

The Courtroom of Illusions in Miracle Creek

Courtroom dramas seem to have fallen out of favour in the literary world recently, which probably has something to do with their sudden and drastic spike a few years ago. Understandably enough, most people got sick of the stories echoing each other and adding little to nothing new to the table.

With this being said, I've always had a bit of a soft spot for these types of stories, especially the ones which know how to portray the truth as being a grey area, especially in the hands of a defence lawyer. With Miracle Creek, I felt like I was transported back to the pinnacle of courtroom fiction once again.

Kim obviously did a lot of research into how courtrooms work and gives us plenty of little details here and there about not only how the process works, but also where its vulnerabilities lay.

She does an excellent job at describing the dynamics of the courtroom and quite easily brings to life all of its inhabitants, essentially turning it into a self-contained universe of its own.

While it is certainly possible she made an error or two in regards to the legal process, it certainly wasn't apparent to the average Joe in this field such as myself. What's more, Kim always maintains a use of simple and straightforward language, making even the more complicated topics easy to follow.

The strongest point of this novel, in my opinion of course, is in the way the author plays around with the truth during the course of the trial. While in some novels it's difficult to believe in facts having different possible interpretations, in the case of Miracle Creek it was about as believable and realistic as I could have imagined.

Kim obviously put an exceptional amount of effort in crafting every detail of this case to permit the truth to be malleable, a topic which only becomes increasingly accentuated as the plot moves on.

In the end, apart from entertaining, it also raises some very good questions as to how much we can trust the jury, judges and defense attorneys.

A Community of Secrets

While the core of the story is indeed centred on the case being fought in the courtroom, there is plenty of meat around it as Kim takes us on a fairly deep dive into the personal lives, hopes, dreams and problems of the people involved in the case.

More precisely, we get to follow seven characters through the events which led each one to being connected with the explosion, witnessing their very different yet comparable lives.

The author does a great job at keeping the intrigue alive until the end, periodically hinting at and slowly revealing the truths they hide from one another.

Along the way Kim takes the time to tackle some social issues, including challenges faced by immigrants as well as parents of atypical children, in this case struck by autism.

Though personally I haven't had the misfortune of facing these challenges in life, the depth, detail and compassion with which the author speaks about them are indicative, to me at least, she has been touched by these things on a very personal level and has quite a bit to share.

Now, I should add that most, if not pretty much all characters in this novel aren't exactly on the likeable side of the fence. More often than not, I found myself having mixed opinions on the people I was being presented with, and while usually I could see the lack of a defined enjoyable protagonist being a detriment, I think in this book it ends up working fairly well.

The reasons for this are fairly simple: the author is obviously going for a more realistic depiction of people, in addition to which she also accomplished something quite commendable by turning the reader, us, into a character, sitting in the courtroom and bearing witness to it all. We don't follow characters in their world, but rather, we exist in it with them.

The Final Verdict

Miracle Creek by Angie Kim is an excellent investigative courtroom drama with a strong realistic touch as well some touching explorations into the lives and challenges faced by the fleshed-out and believable characters.

It provides both entertainment and food for thought in equal measure, handling exceptionally well the topic of truth in a courtroom.

If you, like myself, have been yearning for a top-of-the-line courtroom drama recently, then I highly recommend you give this book a shot.

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Angie Kim Personal site Angie Kim is a South Korean-born author living in America who has so far authored a single novel, Miracle Creek, which became a national bestseller. It has also earned additional accolades by being named “Best Book of the Year” by numerous publications including Time, Hudson Booksellers, Amazon, Library Journal, The Today show and The Washington Post.