Happiness Falls
Fiction
Hogarth
September 5, 2023
Advance e-reader copy
400
Publisher via NetGalley
"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.
My review:
I've waited a long time for another novel from the author of Miracle Creek (my 2019 book of the year). After reading this one, I know why it took a few years. The research in both novels is extensive. I learned about hyperbaric chambers in the first, and about Angelwood Syndrome in this one. There is also a mystery in this book, but as before, it really takes a back seat to the character development and family dynamics. Both of these were expertly portrayed! The entire story is told by the older twin sister of three siblings, the youngest of which has a combination of autism and the aforementioned Angelwood Syndrome. I liked this format, as the usual script for this kind of story would probably have multiple viewpoints. By using one voice, the author was able to withhold details that others may have been privy to without revealing them too soon. I was fascinated by the use of the communication mechanism that comes into play toward the end of the book. There are a lot of moving parts/plots in this one, and I wasn't bored by any of them.
Well written, well researched, well paced, and well characterized, I don't think I could ask for anything else from a novel. Another gem from this author!
