Happiness Falls (Good Morning America Book Club)

By Angie Kim

Happiness Falls (Good Morning America Book Club) - Angie Kim
  • Release Date: 2023-08-29
  • Genre: Literary Fiction
Score: 4
4
From 292 Ratings

Description

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK • When a father goes missing, his family’s desperate search leads them to question everything they know about him and one another in this thrilling page-turner, a deeply moving portrait of a family in crisis from the award-winning author of Miracle Creek.

OPRAH DAILY’S #1 NOVEL OF THE YEAR • ONE OF PEOPLE’S TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR •  A WASHINGTON POST, BOOKPAGE, KIRKUS REVIEWS, NEW YORK POST, GOOD HOUSEKEEPING, BOOK RIOT, CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY, REAL SIMPLE, CRIMEREADS, AND SHE READS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

Belletrist Book Club Pick •
Finalist for the New American Voices Award • “This is a story with so many twists and turns I was riveted through the last page.”—Jodi Picoult

“A brilliant, satisfying, compassionate mystery that is as much about language and storytelling as it is about a missing father. I loved this book.”—Gabrielle Zevin, author of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

“I fell in love with the fascinating, brilliant family at the center of this riveting book.”—Ann Napolitano, author of Hello Beautiful


“We didn’t call the police right away.” Those are the electric first words of this extraordinary novel about a biracial Korean American family in Virginia whose lives are upended when their beloved father and husband goes missing.

Mia, the irreverent, hyperanalytical twenty-year-old daughter, has an explanation for everything—which is why she isn’t initially concerned when her father and younger brother Eugene don’t return from a walk in a nearby park. They must have lost their phone. Or stopped for an errand somewhere. But by the time Mia’s brother runs through the front door bloody and alone, it becomes clear that the father in this tight-knit family is missing and the only witness is Eugene, who has the rare genetic condition Angelman syndrome and cannot speak.

What follows is both a ticking-clock investigation into the whereabouts of a father and an emotionally rich portrait of a family whose most personal secrets just may be at the heart of his disappearance. Full of shocking twists and fascinating questions of love, language, and human connection, Happiness Falls is a mystery, a family drama, and a novel of profound philosophical inquiry. With all the powerful storytelling she brought to her award-winning debut, Miracle Creek, Angie Kim turns the missing-person story into something wholly original, creating an indelible tale of a family who must go to remarkable lengths to truly understand one another.

Reviews

  • Tedious at times…..

    4
    By kayakkid1
    The true value of this book for me was imagining a world where my 6 year old nonverbal ASD grandson will someday learn to communicate. I liked the plot but it was a bit tedious to wade through all the intellectual stuff and Happiness theories.
  • Murder mystery not very mysterious

    3
    By BAMFasgjjbvffjmbcddtj
    Had a feeling how this would end, but it did take some interesting twists and turns. And it caused me to think more deeply about assumptions about abilities and personal agency.
  • A Thought Provoking Mystery/Suspense Novel

    4
    By asildroffops
    Happiness Falls.by Angie Kim tells the story of the disappearance of a husband/father of a biracial Korean American family of five, The story is told from the perspective of Mia, an analytical, irreverent twenty year old college student. Mia took the reader through the minutes, hours and days following her father’s disappearance. Mia and her twin brother were home from college due to the pandemic. Her younger brother Eugene, had an Austism Spectrum Disorder and Angelman’s Syndrome and was non-verbal and believed to be cognitively limited. He and their dad had gone to the park near their home for their daily exercise, and Eugene arrived home alone and agitated. Unfortunately, Eugene did not have any means to communicate with his family and couldn’t tell them what had happened to his dad. Mia shared her thoughts and experiences while they were searching, including the interviews with and actions of the police, the search itself, reading her father’s notes and journals, and piecing together his actions in the days leading up to his disappearance.. This was an enjoyable mystery/suspense story told with a sarcastic wit that I found highly engaging, A bonus was exposure to the complicated issues and feelings surrounding a family with a special needs child and the asumptions/biases that people form regarding people who are unable to speak. Additionally there was discussion of life in a multicultural family and what that experience might mean. The average reader may never have encountered these ideas and would benefit from the concepts addressed. There were also philosophical questions to ponder. A reader who doesn’t enjoy a more cerebral discussion which was part of but not completely necessary to the plot might not enjoy that aspect, but I enjoy reading books that teach me about people different from myself and that stimulate my mind and make me think, so this was a perfect book for me. I am voluntarily submitting this honest review after reading an advanced complementary copy of this novel thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group.
  • Smart, edgy and readable

    5
    By Auch Music Fan
    Mia’s voice is unforgettable and the writing is first rate. A great combination of genres: mystery/thriller and literary, learned fiction.
  • Happiness Falls

    2
    By Patpatterson
    Way too much minutia detail for me! I skipped over a lot!
  • Riveting!

    5
    By downcastXstar
    I bought this book to read at the pool, thinking it was going to be just another mystery read. This book is so much more - I couldn’t put it down, reading it in about 4 sittings. I love the tangents Mia goes on so we can better understand her and her family’s history. I love the little snippets of information we gather as we read. I love that it taught me something and challenged preconceptions. I gasped, out loud!, at several parts in the book. So good!! I will be grabbing another book of Angie Kim’s at the library for sure.
  • Great book!

    5
    By Nutzaboutcooking
    Not a book I want to rush through. So much to learn and feel and absorb.