Synopsis
When a father goes missing, his family’s desperate search leads them to question everything they know about him and one another–both a riveting page-turner and a deeply moving portrait of a family in crisis from the award-winning author of Miracle Creek.
“We didn’t call the police right away.” Those are the 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, race, 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.
The Good
A. Like many other reviewers have said this story is more about themes/messages than mystery which once you know what the story is doing, I think it is fine.
B. Messages: Heavy (in good way) conversations on ableism, racism, sibling issues, family issues, some philosophy of happiness, xenophobia, and more
The Bad
Does it feel like things happen just so there can be a conversation on topic?
Sometimes it can be #message aka heavy handed.
Was the story too long?
The Meh
A. The mystery
B. The mystery aka dad disappearance is more about being vehicle for messages than a straight up mystery.
C. The philosophical and message focus of story bogs down typical flow of a mystery? On the other hand, there is good things to be taken from this story.
Thoughts
A. Not to say the main character was not annoying but it is interesting having folks keep putting her down because of her personality to prop up others.
B. She be overthinking/pessimistic but she did have points that people easily dismissed at times.
won this from Random House Group via goodreads
themollyweather 