A review by maralyons
Happiness Falls by Angie Kim

5.0

Miracle Creek was my favorite book in 2019, so I was over the moon to receive an advanced copy of Angie Kim's second novel, Happiness Falls. I was immediately drawn into the world of the Parkson family, whose patriarch has gone missing in May 2020. The story is narrated by Mia, the 20 year old daughter and twin sister of John. Her younger brother, Eugene, is 14, on the autism spectrum, and unable to communicate. He is the only witness to their father's disappearance. Their father is a white man from the US and their mother was originally from Korea. Though the description sounds like a mystery, I would categorize this as literary fiction as it's very character-driven.

The story is narrated by Mia, who has a keen interest in philosophy and linguistics. She recounts everything that happened after the fact as she unraveled what happened and learns things she didn't know about her father. I adore Kim's writing style and found this novel so thought-provoking and intriguing. I highlighted so many passages. Mia brings up so many issues, from family dynamics, race/ethnicity, how we treat and see others with different abilities, and communication. So much of our opinions of others is based on communication, but what if someone isn't able to communicate in a straightforward way because of fine motor difficulties? What must it be like for someone not to be able to communicate even their basic needs?

Thank you Hogarth and NetGalley for providing this ARC. All thoughts are my own.