An unexplained explosion rocks a small community and unveils secrets (reissue)
Miracle Creek — Angie Kim
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Angie Kim may be more well-known this past year after her sophomore novel, Happiness Falls, was a Good Morning America book club pick. But so many still haven’t read her debut, Miracle Creek, which is one of my Roman Empire books (something
got me thinking about with her own Roman Empire books).Miracle Creek by Angie Kim
Content warnings included in the footnote of this newsletter.1
What It’s About
I’m still baffled when I talk about this book and find that so few people have read it—it was published in 2019, which is when I first read it, and I still think about it so often. Set in a small town in Virginia at a hyberbaric chamber, a specialized medical treatment facility people attend for a variety of reasons, Miracle Creek follows several characters as the unthinkable happens: the chamber explodes.
The hyperbaric chamber is an oxygen treatment facility, and when it explodes, killing two people, it’s clear right away that the explosion was not an accident.
As investigators interview everyone involved, it’s also clear that everyone is keeping secrets of their own.
This is both an incredibly riveting mystery and a heartbreaking drama about family, loss, and challenges with current medical facilities and healthcare as everyone tries to do what’s best for their loved ones.
Why You Should Read It
It’s not often we get a true Little Fires Everywhere comparison, but this one absolutely holds up. It’s got the same emotional impact combined with an unputdownable mystery—this book is one I’d love to see on the screen in some way.
And as I’ve been thinking more and doing more reading into chronic illness, our broken healthcare system, and those it affects, it’s one I want to pick up again for rereading because of these reasons. The families involved in this story have all been through hardships, and on top of that, are battling a terrible medical system that has left them feeling desperate and frustrated. If you haven’t experienced it yourself, it’s worth picking this up for the emotional impact it will have, and it will help you see how difficult it can be inside the system. Other books I’d recommend picking up for this topic are Inferno, What Doesn’t Kill You, and The Lady’s Handbook for Her Mysterious Illness.
It’s been a long time since I’ve shared what I’m currently reading! I’m listening to Under the Influence by Noelle Crooks on audio, which is about a cult-like business and working under an influencer — extremely relevant to today! I also just started Girls Lost by Jessica Schiefauer, which I’d never heard of before being sent it as part of my advent calendar of books. It seems like it might have a Yellowjackets vibe, so we’ll see!
What are you reading this week?
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Content warnings include fire, death of a child, death of a parent, descriptions of method of death in courtroom, emotional and physical abuse, statutory rape, suicide, infertility.
Obsessed with this book.
This is the strongest case for putting this to the top of my TBR I've seen - glad to be a small part of the conversation 😄