Miracle Creek

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of death, ableism, and emotional abuse.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Did Kim’s multiple-viewpoint narrative approach change your understanding of truth as the novel progressed? How did your sympathies shift as you encountered each new perspective?

2. What was your initial reaction to hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) as the controversial medical treatment at the center of the story? Have you read other works that examine experimental medical therapies, such as Jodi Picoult’s Handle With Care?

3. The title Miracle Creek references both the setting and the promise of healing that draws characters to the HBOT chamber. In what ways did you find this title ironic by the end of the book?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. The various parents in the novel make difficult sacrifices for their children. Which parent’s struggles resonated most with you, and why?

2. To what extent does Young and Mary’s shifting relationship after immigrating to the US reflect experiences of cultural transition you’ve witnessed or experienced? Does their story capture aspects of parent-child relationships that transcend cultural backgrounds?

3. Young experiences han at the novel’s conclusion, described as an overwhelming sorrow and regret with a sprinkling of resilience and hope. Can you recall a time when you experienced a complex emotion that might resemble this concept?

4. Elizabeth’s exhaustion from caring for Henry while maintaining an appearance of perfect motherhood highlights the gap between public personas and private struggles. When have you felt pressure to project an image that didn’t match your reality?

5. Many characters keep secrets they believe will protect loved ones, only to cause more damage. How has withholding truth affected relationships in your own life?

6. Matt’s relationship with Mary demonstrates the subtle abuse of power. Have you witnessed situations where authority was misused in ways that weren’t immediately recognized as harmful?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. Where do you see Kim’s portrayal of a hierarchy of disability among parents reflecting broader societal attitudes toward different conditions? What does this hierarchy reveal about how we value different types of abilities?

2. The Yoo family’s status as Korean immigrants affects their interactions with the American justice system and their community. What comment is Kim making about cultural assimilation and the immigrant experience in America?

3. Throughout the novel, the courtroom becomes a battleground of competing narratives. Can you identify parallels between this fictional trial and how media shapes public narratives about real criminal cases?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. Characters in Miracle Creek often find themselves trapped between competing values or identities. Why might Kim have chosen to develop characters caught in these tensions, particularly Young and Elizabeth?

2. Consider the explosion as both a literal and metaphorical catalyst for the characters’ transformations. In what ways does this central event reveal truths that might otherwise have remained hidden?

3. Cigarettes function as both the literal murder weapon and a recurring symbol in the novel. What different meanings do they hold for various characters throughout the story?

4. The novel’s structure, with its multiple narrators and gradually revealed truths, reinforces the theme of competing narratives. When reading, did you find yourself more drawn to certain characters’ perspectives? What does this suggest about how we determine truth?

5. Young’s academic background studying philosophers concerned with morality and justice creates a subtext within Kim’s narrative. Does her knowledge of works like Crime and Punishment illuminate the moral questions at the heart of the novel?

6. At the conclusion, Young experiences han, bringing together themes of cultural identity, grief, and hope. Why might Kim have chosen to end with this specifically Korean emotional concept?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. If you were designing “Henry’s House,” the residential facility that Young and Teresa establish, what specific services would you include to support both children with disabilities and their families?

2. Imagine you could add another character’s perspective to the novel. Whose viewpoint would you choose? What new insights might this narrative voice bring to our understanding of the events in Miracle Creek?

3. Design an alternative ending for one of the other main characters (Matt, Janine, Pak, or Mary). How might their story continue in a way that honors the novel’s themes of atonement and transformation?

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